This has been hidden in developer options for a while now, but they’re now releasing it officially. Limited to Pixel 8 and newer devices and no 4k yet.
Since I have to carry a keyboard anyway, I’m just going to carry a full laptop instead.
The point is that you can use your personal device instead of a secondary machine. Everything is in one spot: your local files, workspaces, sessions and settings.
I like the idea of leaving one keyboard on my desk at home and one at the office and just carry my work in my pocket.
Yeah I thought this was cool and having been trying it for a year because I used to travel a lot for work. But I realized carrying my portable monitor and keyboard wasn’t much different from carrying my Surface. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it’s less useful than it seems.
Maybe to turn a refurbed pixel into a hole server?
From what I’ve experienced, it’s just running android apps on a desktop aesthetic so you get your free floating windows but it’s still all android. That’s why I’m not sure if using your pixel as a server or any kind is viable. Sorry, I’m not technical enough.
That’s cool… I guess…
What I really want is to continue to use F-Droid though.
Install Graphene OS on your Pixel.
I’m not giving Google anymore money. I’m actively going to vote for their competitor, Motorola+GrapheneOS.
(Not buying used Pixel.)
I understood OP already has one.
Motorola, yes, but that’s 2027, or thereabouts. As a stop-gap, there’s Lineage OS.
This doesn’t stop the drastic drop in popularity (and potentially development) of FOSS apps.
Lack of users means lack of donations.
We need to stop this BS instead of just trying to get a workaround.
There is no workaround for proprietary platforms other than stopping using them.
Install Graphene OS on your Pixel.
Your Pixel
Limited to Pixel 8 and newer devices and no 4k yet.
Oh, so your Pixel, but not my Pixel.
Let’s be clear, for a feature that Samsung phones have had for a decade at this point.
They sure did have a version of it. But you had to run their privacy nightmare app suite on their mutilated android OS. So no one cared or cares.
sad pixel 5 noises
I’ve been waiting for a camera bump free upgrade, the 10a might be it but I’m reluctant to continue up the phone size escalator.
My guy if you use that phone for anything remotely sensitive you should get a new one. It hasn’t received security updates in over 2 years. The 8a is about $200 refurbished with 6 more years of updates and you won’t notice the bump if you use a case.
I don’t use a case and I use Lineage. I’m not really concerned. I already need to crop the top of the screen in developer settings just so that I can reach the notification bar, I’m not really enthusiastic about getting something even bigger.
Yep. Pixel 7P over here really bummed that this isn’t available because of poor choices Google made at the hardware level on this phone.
Our Pixel ⚒️🎵
The 4 (iirc) also had USBC video out but google removed that functionality only to now have a reason to sell you a new phone. I hope its actually good and they publish source for it as part of AOSP, otherwise this news is fucking useless.
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This used to be exciting stuff about ten years ago when some of us still thought Google was doing cool things.
I’ve bought 1920x1200 IPS screen from temu. It is small, runs off the phone (if you want) power and works brilliantly. I’m using Windows RDP to use my desktop anywhere I want in the house. Works great for a few month, I had lower resolution for a couple updates, but the current version running on Android 17 Beta2 works just fine, at full resolution.
Could you link the screen from temu?
Imagine what the world could be if we had repairable Arch Linux Phones that can go full desktop mode just like the pixel rn. Aaahhh that turns me on!🤤
Arch user btw
I would definitely not carry my main computer around with me everywhere. Lose/brake/get is stolen and you’re seriously fucked. Too much risk. And if it’s not my main computer why would I connect to screens and peripherals?
What is an android PC? Is that like a boat car?
Nah it’s more like a toaster fridge
So sort of like the Continuum mode that Windows Phones had, like, ten years ago?
Literally every Samsung Android phone has come with their Dex desktop for like 10 years too.
I fucking hate Google at this point. They’re just an even shittier version of apple now. Locking down their shit for no reason, and claiming decades old innovations are actually new and theirs.
Yes, but even a diamond encrusted turd still gets flushed, diamonds and all.
There is no such thing as an Android PC.
Now there is
Sorry, I was being snarky. What I meant was that a computer running Android (or iOS) can’t really be counted as a PC, in the sense that Google (or Apple) control what you do with it.
No, it’s a phone with a monitor and keyboard. As far as I’m concerned a Chromebook is also not a PC, it’s a phone that’s shaped like a laptop.
That’s certainly an opinion.
A PC where I can’t install what I want? WTF is the point of that bullshit.
Thanks but I’ll stick to my steam deck for my portable Linux computing needs where I can do what the hell I want.
I guess we’ll see how that goes come September timeframe.
I’m sure it’ll go pretty well on GrapheneOS
Not sure why everyone seems to think GrapheneOS is going to be immune and unaffected by Google actively trying to fuck AOSP to death.
We’ll see what happens long term but they will be unaffected by the September changes.
Not sure why everyone seems to think GrapheneOS is going to be immune and unaffected by Google actively trying to fuck AOSP to death.
last thing I want is an android pc. well maybe not the last but nope
I found these kind of features really useful. I had to submit some documents that I needed to do some work on before they got sent off. Everything was local, and with a keyboard/monitor/mouse I could have a browser, my email, and the document I was editing on the screen at the same time. So much faster typing and clicking.
I use my Steamdeck for that more often now if I just want a desktop while i am traveling if I don’t want to bring the laptop. I just mount the phone as a folder, so even that is easy.
I mean I get it kinda. I just have never really went for the smartphone thing. The laptop is basically my end all be all of technology. I too though love my steamdeck. I actually bought it as kinda of indulgence that I justified with the idea it would become my new laptop but I really like having gaming on a different device and just not worrying about it on my laptop.
yay, locked down unrepairable computers owned by a us company that aids in war and surveillance!
It’s either Linux phone or fighting in the trenches a losing battle against one the most powerful companies in history. Android offering a desktop mode is good if taken in the context of running an open source software on hardware you own.
yeah, it’s nice in that context.
in fact, it’s something that could have been a thing for a while, they had phones doing this in 2012ish.
locked down
How? They allow users to install 3rd party ROMs and GrapheneOS
unrepairable
They’re not the best, but far from the worst. I’ve done multiple repairs on mine without much issue. There are first party parts and guides available on iFixit.
us company
I guess?
aids in war and surveillance!
You’d be hard pressed to find a manufacturer that doesn’t
This feature is a positive change. Enabling people to minimize the number of devices they need has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of ewaste people generate, and makes desktop features more accessible to people who can’t afford multiple devices.
android is pretty locked down, and being locked down further this year to allow only google-sanctioned software. following this trend will see actually unlocked and repairable computers replaced by locked phones. pixels are better than average but not available everywhere.
are the ifixit guides gonna help me replace the busted storage chip that renders my phone unbootable? i can just replace it for cheap on my laptop.
I guess?
Enabling people to minimize the number of devices they need
this is literally the biggest issue here. relying on a country that doles out sanctions and bombings like it’s parking tickets and it’s known to creepily record everything we do.
and increasing reliance on google and the aforementioned empire for underpowered and closed computing is not a positive at all.
There are a lot of assumptions baked into everything you’re saying. It’s really not that deep. Google Pixels make up a tiny fraction of total mobile market share. This isn’t the start of some doomsday scenario where the only computers available are Google Pixels. You’re allowed to buy what you want. I need a phone anyway. All of them are kinda shit from an openness/repairability standpoint. And personally I’d rather have one device than two if I can.
relying on a country that doles out sanctions and bombings like it’s parking tickets.
This is a much larger issue that has little to do with anything we’re talking about
locked down further this year to allow only google-sanctioned software
This does not apply to GrapheneOS, which again you are allowed to install to these devices. Plus they allow use of the linux terminal which people have been experimenting with to run full linux apps (https://www.androidauthority.com/run-desktop-linux-apps-on-android-how-to-3586539/)
Anyone know if this works with GrapheneOS? I haven’t tested this in a very long time and then I was on stock. Android.
It does in fact work with GOS. I don’t believe this build has been released yet though so you likely still need to toggle it on in the dev settings.
It works fine enough. It’s not going to replace my desktop PC any time soon but it helps a lot for anything involving word processing/documents, as well as gaming on TVs and monitors.
I last tried out the beta version of it on Graphene a couple of months back and it was rough. In fairness though, I was mostly using it to figure out how to use it to install a full fat Linux distro, which is probably a niche use.
My phone’s just updated, so I’ll give it another spin when I get home tonight and report back.
I have a 9a running Graphene and with a “usb C laptop dock” I can use it in “desktop mode”, but I would warn that it is still EXTREMELY buggy and finnicky.
Still neat though.
And are there apps for normal desktop office work?
I’m surely not gonna use Google docs or Microsoft’s cloud clobber.
Any apps that are available on Android can be used with desktop mode, including Collabora and OnlyOffice. I assume there will be variable levels of optimization though since this is still so new.
Edit: Forgot to mention that you should also be able to run linux apps https://www.androidauthority.com/run-desktop-linux-apps-on-android-how-to-3586539/
So new, as in, it has been available forever, just not on google phones. But every other manufacturer has done it at one point or another in the last ten years if not more.
Yeah I’m not very familiar with the android landscape since everything that’s not GrapheneOS is a total shitshow. Sounds like app optimization may be less of a concern than I anticipated, that’s great
