Flow Desktop is the first launcher built for Android 10’s hidden Desktop Mode

-

Android Q betas gave us our first look at an experimental Desktop Mode on Android smartphones. Enabled through a setting in Developer Options, this Desktop Mode brought up a new Android interface that resembled a more conventional desktop launcher, with the ability to launch apps in freeform multi-windows. Google has even provided more information for app developers to adapt their applications to work harmoniously with a secondary display. Curiously, Google has not really introduced Desktop Mode with much fanfare just yet, as the experimental setting is quite barebones in its approach, needing a lot of fixes and playing around to make it more useful. However, Flow Desktop goes a step ahead in this direction as a launcher, adding more utility to the hidden Desktop Mode.

Flow Desktop builds on Android 10’s Desktop Mode to give you a better experience on a secondary display with a connected keyboard and mouse. At the outset, it is worth mentioning that Android’s Desktop Mode is still considered experimental, and Flow Desktop is also in a preview state with bugs expected throughout the experience. The app provides a very short trial period for you to check out what it is about and then requires purchasing premium in order to support further development. You already need to have enabled Developer Options on your device and enabled the Freeform Windows and Experimental Desktop Mode toggles as well for the launcher to work.

There is a brief device setup to undertake for the first time, so you will need a computer too. The developer has shown off the experience in the video below:

Flow Desktop comes along with several options, including support to change the resolution on the secondary display, as well as the density on it. The launcher enables a more traditional desktop and Windows-like experience on the secondary display, complete with a Start Menu for displaying all apps, the ability to add apps to the bottom Taskbar, and more. Due to inherent limitations with Desktop Mode, right clicks on the mouse are treated as touch long presses, so the context menu is displayed accordingly.

Again, there are bugs to be found in the entire experience, even on officially supported devices. Flow Desktop officially supports the OnePlus 7T Pro, and officially considers the Essential Phone PH1 (no support for display settings adjustments) and Samsung phones (with DeX pre-installed, as they need further tweaking) as unsupported for now.

You can check out Flow Desktop on the Google Play Store. For discussion, you can check out the developer’s thread on Reddit.

Flow Desktop launcher (Preview test release) (Free+, Google Play) →

The post Flow Desktop is the first launcher built for Android 10’s hidden Desktop Mode appeared first on xda-developers.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Honor 20 Pro is Now Available in 14 Countries

-
Image
The Honor 20 was off to a really rocky start with the controversial U.S.A. ban on HUAWEI. While the future of the phone was initially unclear, the planned launch of the phone is now in full swing. As this phone’s complicated launch slowly starts to be available around the world, here are all the places where you can get an Honor 20 Pro.   Country Availability Date Selling Channel Russia 2019/8/2 DNS . MTS, GB 2019/8/1 Amazon.uk , CPW , o2, H3G France 2019/8/22 Amazon, Boulanger, Cdiscount, Darty, FREE, Fnac. Orange, SFR. Offline [HONOR Shop Paris & Lyon] German 2019/7/21 MSD, 1&1 mobile, Amazon , Mediamarket/ phonehouse Netherlands 2019/7/31 bol.com , Belsimpel Czechia 2019/8/15 Alza Finland 2019/8/13 ELsia DNa Poland 2019/8/8 RTV EURO AGD , X-Kom Malaysia 2019/8/15 HiHonor , Shopee . Offline [all HONOR stores in Malaysia] Saudi Arabia 2019/7/31 Pre-sell 2019/8/6 First day sale HiHonor Egypt 2019/7/29 Pre-s...
Read more

Motorola’s foldable Razr phone may be announced before year’s end

-
While Samsung’s saga with the Galaxy Fold appears to finally be coming to an end , there are other foldables destined to be released soon. The Huawei Mate X is the other big name, but it has been delayed a couple of times as well. The other foldable device that we’ve heard about a few times is the rumored Motorola Razr reboot, and a new report claims an announcement is coming this year still. Earlier this year, reports suggested Motorola would launch its foldable phone this summer. That time has come and gone without a peep from Motorola, but a new report claims it’s still coming this year. This information comes from a person close to the company speaking to CNET . It’s unlikely that the device will actually be sold this year, but we should at least see the device before 2020. Motorola has already confirmed that they are working on a foldable smartphone. The “Razr” name was also confirmed by a Bluetooth certification. We exclusively reported on the specifications of the device ,...
Read more

Behind Dynamic System Updates in Android Q: How Google is using Project Treble to improve future Android releases

-
Image
Alongside the release of Android 8.0 Oreo, Google unveiled Project Treble : a major rearchitecting in the way the Android OS framework and the vendor HALs and Linux kernel communicate. Treble is a major initiative designed to reduce Android platform version and security patch fragmentation , and all Android-branded devices launching with Android Pie are required to support Project Treble. OEMs and vendors test Treble compatibility by booting a Generic System Image (GSI)—a pure stock build of Android from AOSP—and passing the Vendor Test Suite (VTS) and Compatibility Test Suite-on-Generic System Image (CTS-on-GSI). The GSI has proven useful in not only allowing software engineers working for OEMs test Treble compatibility, but it has also opened the door for a large custom ROM community on XDA. For the Android Q release, Google wants to make GSIs useful for another group: app developers. Since the first stable release and source code drop of any given Android platform release usual...
Read more