Android Q as we all know is the latest Google Android OS and bags tons of interesting new features, one of the most anticipated features in the Android Q is the Desktop mode feature, which simply lets users mirror their device to any screen, making it look like a desktop emulator.
The Desktop Mode feature is similar to the Samsung’s Dex Mode which is only present on the flagship Galaxy series. At the moment, the Desktop mode can only be accessible in the developer option assisted by a few adb command since the feature is still in development and not completely ready for use.
A Developer named Daniel Blanford, however, has taken this opportunity to create the very first custom launcher for the Android Q desktop mode. The developer has released a video of Android Q running on PC with his custom launcher installed and it looks absolutely cool.
Daniel Blanford simply built a custom launcher on the latest Android Q beta and created his own custom launcher, giving it a Windows + Chrome OS flavor. The interface shows a taskbar at the bottom housing a start menu with all installed apps, and shortcuts to specific apps.
On the right hand side, you’ll also find useful status information like the notifications, battery level, connectivity, volume, and date and time. The launcher also supports adding widgets and app shortcuts to the desktop itself.
To just a regular Android OS for PC and Android Emulators, the launcher works with external devices such as mouse, keyboard, and even touch input (if supported on the external screen).
Can I also run the Android Q Desktop mode?
At the moment, no. Except you know how to create a custom launcher just like Blandford’s. Meanwhile, the developer himself as stated that this is an early preview of the Desktop feature – so we can basically just take this as a concept of what the Android Q desktop mode would like and hope that Google ships desktop mode feature in the final release of Android Q. See the Video preview below
As it is now, there aren’t any exciting features/things you can do in the desktop mode other than creating app shortcuts on the home screen and launching those apps. Given that this feature is still under development, it is still unstable. Clicking the right button on the mouse to open a context menu leads to the crashing of any open application.
Read also: Android Q rooted before its official release
This is a great development and if at all it gets out to the Android Q OS, it’ll show that the smartphones are just another step away from being able to replace our classic computers.