Google is testing “windowing” for Android OS while it is used on tablets. If this feature works well, it could allow Android tablets to function as desktop PCs with full and dynamic multitasking support.
Google wants Android tablets to support ‘windowing’
Google has been actively testing the Android 15 OS. The search giant has released multiple beta versions of Android 15 so far. The latest beta version of Android 15, tagged as Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, includes a new “desktop windowing” feature.
Specifically speaking, Google has released a developer preview of the desktop windowing feature. It allows users to have multiple windows of apps running simultaneously on a single screen.
The desktop windowing feature in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 doesn’t force Android tablet users to view a single app. The new feature allows users to run multiple apps with each running app getting a dedicated and resizable window that can be freely repositioned. Simply put, the desktop windowing feature frees apps from the constraints of Android OS’s UI.
Window resizing, overlapping, and multiple instances unlocked?
Incidentally, Android tablet users have been able to run multiple apps and resize them in earlier versions of the OS. However, there were several restrictions. Users were permitted to arrange apps in a specific grid or pattern, and switching between the apps wasn’t seamless.
With the introduction of the desktop windowing feature in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, Google is essentially mimicking popular desktop operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, or Linux.
It appears Google is finally taking multi-window support for Android devices with larger screens seriously. This is because the new feature offers a great deal of flexibility.
The desktop windowing feature reportedly allows users to freely resize app windows. Tablet users can view multiple apps simultaneously. Moreover, users can either overlap app windows or place them side-by-side.
If that’s not enough, users can also launch multiple instances of the same app and get individual windows for them. This feature would reportedly allow Android tablet users to launch two web pages in separate browser windows.
Google has even deployed a taskbar on the bottom of the screen. It will show apps that a user has pinned, and a button to open the app drawer. There’s a bar on top of each app window with icons that allow closing or maximizing it. Moreover, Google is encouraging developers to add more functions to this bar.
2024-09-14 15:07:34