This New Feature Could Make Android the OS to Rule Them All
Since the dawn of the smartphone, I always wanted a device that could “do it all” — be portable enough to carry around as a handset, yet powerful enough to replace my desktop when paired with a mouse, keyboard, and monitor. Though many have tried to create this elusive unicorn of a phone, most have failed...until now. New evidence suggests that Google is building native desktop support directly into their mobile OS, and if that happens, Android could easily surpass Microsoft and Apple as the operating system to rule every device category on the market.
This isn’t the first time Google has dabbled with a desktop mode for Android. Just last year, Google tested ChromeOS desktop integration, an experiment that was ultimately killed off several months later. At the time, everyone thought this was the end of Google’s desktop ambitions for Android. In fact, VP of Engineering, Dave Burke, had this to say in a special episode of the Android Faithful podcast:
“And so then we were like, ‘we need to do a demo, what would be really cool?’ ‘Let’s put ChromeOS in there, that would be really funny!’ Like, like, could that really work? And it works! But that’s as far as it went. It’s a tech demo. What we’re excited about is the virtualization technology.”
Lucky for us, the Google team wasn’t finished quite yet. Almost a year after this interview, a new demo from Mishaal Rahman for Android Authority proves that Google is developing a full desktop platform, and instead of ChromeOS, this build is purely Android.
Mobile Desktop Modes in Retrospect
Desktop modes on smartphones are nothing new. In fact, there have been many attempts over the years dating all the way back to the earliest days of the smartphone race. Here’s a quick rundown of the ones I remember off the top of my head, plus a couple extras...
2011: The Motorola Atrix 4G was one of the first Android devices that tried to be the “everything phone.” Not only was the handset itself a tank, but it could be docked to a laptop shell to get work done. Unfortunately, the concept fizzled rather quickly, and Atrix was out.
2015: Remember Ubuntu Touch? Yeah, most people don’t. It never received enough traction to compete on a grand scale. Regardless, sometime back in 2015, Ubuntu introduced Convergence Mode to their mobile OS that provided a Linux operating system to anyone who needed one on the go.
2015: For a tech behemoth like Microsoft, it only makes sense that the maker of the most popular desktop operating system on the planet would build it into their mobile offerings. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s mobile OS lacked public support for its desktop counterpart, and Continuum died along with Windows 10 Mobile.
2017: Samsung DeX is a conundrum. As one of the oldest desktop modes in the mainstream market, and certainly the most popular option for Android users, DeX has been under development for nearly a decade. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn’t really talk about it anymore, leaving some (like me) to wonder if DeX isn’t long for this world. With Google now working on building their own version into Android, I think the writing is on the wall with this one.
2022: Motorola came back with a new desktop mode called Motorola Ready For (yep, that’s really what they called it). Admittedly, I don’t know much about this one. I actually forgot it even existed, and everyone else did too, because it went the way of the dodo. Sorry, Moto.
Why Google Will Succeed Where Others Have Failed
Many desktop modes have lived and died. So what makes Android any different? Well, a few things...
Native Integration: Android remains to be the most popular operating system on the planet, not just in the mobile space but across all devices combined. To have desktop mode built directly into AOSP gives the feature instant access to billions of users worldwide, very much competitors through the ages.
Accessibility: Users won’t need any special docks or hardware to get it up and running. Simply attach a phone to a monitor, pair a mouse and keyboard, and you’re ready to go! Easy peasy.
History of Success: Google already knows how to make successful laptop/desktop operating systems. ChromeOS has been a wild hit, and with rumors circulating that Android is slated to replace ChromeOS wholesale, all of that expertise and development will go directly into Google’s central platform – the one to rule them all.
All the Apps: Something that many previous desktop modes lacked was broad app support. Even DeX, which is built directly on Android, doesn’t have the best track record here. Google aims to change this by integrating tablet versions of Play Store apps into their desktop mode. There’s also more evidence from Mishaal that a desktop-grade version of Chrome with extension support is coming to Android, which will open up broader experiences on the web.
New Tricks: As Android gains greater parity with ChromeOS, many of the tricks that the latter learned over the years may carry over. For instance, I would love to see Steam for ChromeOS make its way to Android, opening the platform to become a true gaming powerhouse at a desktop and on the go.
A Future With Android Everywhere
Simply put, I think Google has a real shot at striking gold with this one. Not only will desktop mode bring all kinds of new features and capabilities to Android smartphones, but it could also open Android to a bunch of new product categories – dedicated laptops, powerful desktops, gaming machines, etc.
Having a unified platform in a space where competitors like Apple have to maintain multiple OSes across categories gives Google a real advantage. It makes them more nibble when developing for a range of form factors, gives OEM partners broad app and software support for any platform, and helps Google build a more cohesive product ecosystem.
The only thing I find uncertain is Google’s recent renaming of some of their other platforms. For instance, Android Wear became Wear OS back in 2018. Then in 2021, Google TV took the primary position over Android TV, though it technically didn’t replace it. If Google was really building a cohesive OS ecosystem, I would expect the Android monikers to return to prominence in all categories, just like we’re seeing with Android XR that’s coming for glasses and headsets.
But then again, maybe that’s not what they’re trying to do at all. Who really knows when it comes to Google? Still, it’s fun to dream about what a world would look like if Android was the central operating system powering an entire family of products.
In short, Android may be positioning itself to become the one operating system to rule them all. First they dominated smartphones, and now they’re coming for laptops and computers — or at least that’s what I hope is about to happen. Time will tell how it all shakes out. As for when we can expect Android’s desktop mode to make it into a public build near you, that’s at least one year or more out from an official launch.
Speak Up!
What do you think? Do you like the idea of a desktop mode for Android? Would you use it on your device? Have any other thoughts? Drop a comment below, or reply to this post @ztlaidlaw on X/Twitter, Threads, and BlueSky.