For years it has been jokingly referred to as the “year of the Linux desktop”, but 2026 could, quite realistically, become the year of the Android desktop environment. Although Android is best known as a mobile operating system, the platform is already used in cars and wearable devices, and is now slowly targeting the classic desktop as well.
Google is developing an advanced desktop mode in the next version of the Android system. The first clues appeared years ago, but remained undefined until 2024, when the company allowed Pixel phones to work as a computer replacement when connected to an external monitor. Android 15 introduced a PC-like windowing system, with Google I/O 2025 finally showing a functional desktop interface. Applications can be freely resized, have title bars with commands, and there is also a taskbar, application launcher, system indicators, quick commands and notifications known from tablet devices.
Android desktop mode is entering a decisive phase of development
The reason for the accelerated development is clear: Google plans to make Android the basis of future Chromebooks. ChromeOS and Android have been getting closer together for years: tablets work like laptops, and Chromebook models already run Android apps. Since Google is simultaneously developing the desktop version of the Chrome browser for Android, the two platforms are rapidly merging into one.
Android CentralThis comes as Google faces regulatory pressure, including a ruling declaring it a monopoly. Merging Android and ChromeOS gives the company more flexibility in case one of the platforms is restricted by regulation.
Android desktop can be used today. Samsung DeX, available on Galaxy phones and tablets since 2017, remains the most mature solution and functions like a classic desktop environment. Motorola offers its own solution called Smart Connect, while Google’s basic desktop mode can be activated on Pixel devices running Android 16 by turning on the “Enable desktop experience features“ in the Developer Options menu and connecting an external monitor, keyboard and mouse.
There is also a broader strategy behind everything: functions like resizable windows are also key to the development of the Android XR environment. Android is slowly crossing the border of mobile devices and expanding towards the classic desktop world, and 2026 could become the year in which this transition will become visible to a wide range of users, concludes How to Geek.