Google is testing a new feature for Android tablets that allows you to change and organize apps on the screen, to make multitasking easier. The Desktop Window section is available as a developer view, and for apps that support it, you can open more than one instance.
Currently, apps on Android tablets open full screen by default. When the new mode is enabled, each app appears in a window with controls that allow you to move, maximize, or close the app. You will also see a taskbar at the bottom of the screen with your programs.
It sounds a lot like the iPad’s Stage Manager feature that similarly lets you resize and move windows around your screen or pretty much any desktop operating system. Samsung has also offered its DeX experience for years, bringing desktop-like windows management to Android apps on Galaxy phones and tablets.
Once the feature is rolled out to everyone, you can turn it on by pressing and holding the window handle at the top of an app’s screen. If you have a keyboard attached, you can also use the shortcut meta key (Windows, Command, or Search) + Ctrl + Down to activate desktop mode. (You can exit the mode by closing all your active apps or by dragging a window and dragging it to the top of your screen, Google tests desktop.)
Google notes that apps locked to portrait orientation are still resizable, which might make things look a bit weird if certain apps aren’t optimized. However, Google is planning to fix this in a future update by improving the UI of non-standard apps while keeping the feature intact.
Currently, users can access the developer preview of the new Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 for Pixel tablets. We still don’t know when the feature will be available to everyone – if it comes to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
