When I first leaked Android Q back in January, there was one feature that I really wanted to show off but sadly couldn’t because it wasn’t fully implemented: the experimental desktop mode. We found a setting in Developer Options that would “force experimental desktop mode on secondary displays.” While we could toggle the setting, nothing we tried would make this “desktop mode” show up anywhere. Now that the first Android Q beta has been released for all Google Pixel smartphones and the Android Studio emulator, it’s possible to try it out.
Twitter user @Shad0wKn1ght93 noticed that the AOSP Launcher has a new component that, when launched, brings up a new Android desktop interface. I noticed a reference to this launcher component in Q’s framework, but the AOSP Launcher that shipped with the leaked build did not have this component at the time. Now that it does, it’s possible to launch the component manually. If you have the Android Studio emulator, all you have to do is run the following ADB command depending on which Q image you downloaded:
- Non-GMS:
adb shell am start -n "com.android.launcher3/com.android.launcher3.SecondaryDisplayLauncher" - GMS:
adb shell am start -n "com.google.android.apps.nexuslauncher/com.android.launcher3.SecondaryDisplayLauncher"
Once launched, here’s what the desktop interface looks like on the non-GMS build using the AOSP Launcher.
You can add app shortcuts to the desktop which launch in freeform multi-windows, a feature which first launched with Android 7.0 Nougat. You can also set a custom wallpaper for the desktop. The status bar and navigation bar seem unchanged, but you have a lot more room to work with now.
It’s possible to enable this desktop mode by going to Developer Options on a Google Pixel, Pixel 2, or Pixel 3 running the beta and enabling the “force desktop mode” Developer Option and then simulating a secondary display. However, you can’t interact with the desktop UI when it’s shown as a secondary display in this way. Since none of the Google Pixel smartphones support display out over HDMI, you can’t actually use the desktop interface in any meaningful way yet.
This is article will be updated as we get more details. Check back for more information on the new desktop mode!
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