Google: Windowing for Android Tablets, Let’s Find Out What It’s All About

Google is currently testing a new feature for Android tablets that will give users a greater flexibility in app management. This novelty, called “windowing“, will allow you to resize app windows and freely arrange the various applications on the screen, thus facilitating multitasking. The feature is currently available in developer preview and, for compatible apps, it will also allow you to open multiple instances of the same application.

Currently, apps on Android tablets run in a full screen by default. With the introduction of this new mode, each app will open in its own window with controls that allow you to move, maximize, or close it. Additionally, a application bar which will show active apps, improving multitasking management.

This function is similar to Stage Manager Apple’s iPad app, which lets you resize and move windows, or what traditional desktop operating systems offer. Samsung also introduced a window management system some time ago, known as DeXwhich brings a desktop-like experience to Android devices, like Galaxy phones and tablets.

How to activate this new feature

Once the feature is available to everyone, Users will be able to activate it by holding down the top edge of the app window. Keyboard users can activate windowed mode using the key combination Meta + Ctrl + Down. To exit, simply close all active windows or drag a window to the top of the screen.

Google has emphasized that apps that run exclusively in portrait mode will also be resizable, although this may cause some display issues. However, the company plans to address these limitations by optimizing app scaling in a future update. Currently, interested users can try this feature by downloading the Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 sui Pixel Tablet.