I do not understand why we do not have computers that adapt in our pockets. Oh wait, we do – they are called smartphones. So why do I still hang around a laptop every day to work?
This is exactly the reason why I relied on Samsung Dex so on my Galaxy phones that support him. It is not that Dex is one of the most underestimated phone features, but I really find value in the way he reproduces the experience of office PC with his ability to perform several applications simultaneously each time that I connect my phone to an external monitor. I deliberately left my laptop at home on the days I have to go to the office thanks to this.
However, I came across a functionality hidden in my Pixel 9 Pro XL which gives me a similar PC type experience – and I am delighted on this subject. After spending a week with it, I hope Google will make a native feature for all Android phones.
Not quite as polite as Dex, but usable
Google’s office mode is not at all polished, which is why it is only accessible once the development mode activated. However, that does the work for most of the things I have to do on a daily basis. Once I connected my pixel 9 pro XL to my monitor at work (via a USB-C hub, which also has a mouse and a keyboard that is connected to it), Google’s desktop mode is launched after selected The message on the screen on my phone to reflect my screen.
Similar to Dex de Samsung, this office type environment allows me to do several tasks much better than on my phone. This is due to how I can execute several applications simultaneously and resize their respective windows so that I can execute more than four applications. Try doing this on any phone! You can’t.
And as this mode allows me to use my mouse and my keyboard, my productivity is amplified on what I could traditionally do on my phone. However, I would not go far to say that it would completely replace my laptop. It’s because he can’t really manage everything about what I count to do my job. For example, there are several chrome scripts that I use for work that is not available on my phone.
There are also other oddities in the interface, such as the way it cannot automatically Windows tile and how it does not support current keyboard shortcuts (such as the ALT + tab for quick switching applications). It’s no longer a manual affair with this interface, which is why Samsung Dex feels like a more polished interface.
How to access the Pixel 9 Pro XL office mode
1. Activate developer mode
(Image: © Tom’s Guide)
In order to access this hidden mode, you must activate a few hidden settings in developer mode. Just go to the Settings> About the phone> Construction numberSo proceed to Tap repeatedly On the construction number until a message appears by saying that you are now a developer.
2. Activate office mode settings
(Image: © Tom’s Guide)
From there, you will want to navigate to Settings> System> Development options. Now scroll down to the bottom of the list and switch to the following options: activate freeform windows, force resident activities, activate freeform windows on the secondary display and activate non -residable in the multiple window.
Even if it is not necessary, I recommend installing the Task bar application Also because the native office mode of the Pixel 9 Pro XL is broken. There is a button to access the apps panel, but the home and back functions are strangely hidden. They are there towards the lower edge of the panel because these actions occur when I press on the corresponding areas.
The use of the Taskbar application allows me to better juggle around all applications, compared to the manual recovery of each in the application panel each time I minimize Windows.
End
Obviously, there is still a lot of work required before this office PC type interface can convince me that it is as good as Samsung Dex. Nevertheless, the foundation is here and I hope that Google will continue to develop this because I also discovered that it supports touch screens.
Google has a long way to go before this office mode does not correspond.