this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2026
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This has been hidden in developer options for a while now, but they're now releasing it officially. Limited to Pixel 8 and newer devices and no 4k yet.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 101 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (10 children)

Your Pixel

Limited to Pixel 8 and newer devices and no 4k yet.

Oh, so your Pixel, but not my Pixel.

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 33 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Let's be clear, for a feature that Samsung phones have had for a decade at this point.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 20 points 2 months ago

This feature debuted on the Moto Atrix in 2011. There was even a version of Ubuntu that could use the feature.

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[–] Pxtl@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 months ago (10 children)

Yeah, I have a pixel 7 and was disappointed on vacation to learn that its USB-C port can't do video when I wanted to plug it into a hotel room TV.

I don't get why this is a Pixel thing at all and not an Android thing though. Shouldn't any Android OS device that can do full video output over USB-C be able to do this?

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[–] BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

sad pixel 5 noises

I've been waiting for a camera bump free upgrade, the 10a might be it but I'm reluctant to continue up the phone size escalator.

[–] snowdriftissue@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My guy if you use that phone for anything remotely sensitive you should get a new one. It hasn't received security updates in over 2 years

[–] BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

I don't use a case and I use Lineage. I'm not really concerned. I already need to crop the top of the screen in developer settings just so that I can reach the notification bar, I'm not really enthusiastic about getting something even bigger.

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[–] zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com 55 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This used to be exciting stuff about ten years ago when some of us still thought Google was doing cool things.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

I think it is just supposed to be Samsung DeX

[–] paequ2@lemmy.today 48 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That's cool... I guess...

What I really want is to continue to use F-Droid though.

[–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 17 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Install Graphene OS on your Pixel.

[–] paequ2@lemmy.today 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm not giving Google anymore money. I'm actively going to vote for their competitor, Motorola+GrapheneOS.

(Not buying used Pixel.)

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[–] JTskulk@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why say "Your Pixel can now..." when my Pixel can't? Why not say "Pixel 8 and newer devices can now...".

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago (8 children)

JTskulk, it is only your Pixel that can not. It works for older Pixels as well, but they specifically tied a few kill switches to your commonly known geo-locations and anyone who ties their shoelaces in a fashion deemed less mertiable.

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[–] Fetus@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago (3 children)

So sort of like the Continuum mode that Windows Phones had, like, ten years ago?

[–] Yaky@slrpnk.net 17 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Like desktop mode on Librem5 in 2020, convergence on PinePhone from 2021, or Samsung Dex from a few years ago, too.

[–] cabbage@piefed.social 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And every Ubuntu Touch device with support for external monitors for the last ten years or so. Here's a demonstration running on a Fairphone 4.

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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Oh the Motorola Atrix from like, 2014? I still have the lapdock. Used it with an original RPi for a while to make a terrible laptop.

[–] Yaky@slrpnk.net 5 points 2 months ago

Wiki says the model is from 2011, and all that functionality was implemented on Android 2.3.x, impressive! Google is only 14 versions behind.

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Literally every Samsung Android phone has come with their Dex desktop for like 10 years too.

I fucking hate Google at this point. They're just an even shittier version of apple now. Locking down their shit for no reason, and claiming decades old innovations are actually new and theirs.

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[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 20 points 2 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (11 children)
[–] snowdriftissue@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

locked down

How? They allow users to install 3rd party ROMs and GrapheneOS

unrepairable

They're not the best, but far from the worst. I've done multiple repairs on mine without much issue. There are first party parts and guides available on iFixit.

us company

I guess?

aids in war and surveillance!

You'd be hard pressed to find a manufacturer that doesn't

This feature is a positive change. Enabling people to minimize the number of devices they need has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of ewaste people generate, and makes desktop features more accessible to people who can't afford multiple devices.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
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[–] MIXEDUNIVERS@discuss.tchncs.de 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

i hope it comes to graphene os

[–] Harmonics041@feddit.uk 13 points 2 months ago

Its already available in developer settings on grapheneos I use it daily

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

A PC where I can't install what I want? WTF is the point of that bullshit.

Thanks but I'll stick to my steam deck for my portable Linux computing needs where I can do what the hell I want.

[–] sonofearth@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Imagine what the world could be if we had repairable Arch Linux Phones that can go full desktop mode just like the pixel rn. Aaahhh that turns me on!🤤

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[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Samsung has been doing this with Dex for many years ffs.

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[–] Jumbie@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

What is an android PC? Is that like a boat car?

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

All phones are PCs, this is just connecting external displays.

The shock is that it couldn't already.

[–] rodneylives@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Mobile devices tend to be much less versatile than PCs, mind you, and on purpose, due to one of Steve Jobs' most misguided apprehensions, that it'd be a good idea to hide the filesystem from the user. (Cue someone somehow claiming that's Good Actually in three, two, one...)

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[–] jjs@infosec.pub 9 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Anyone know if this works with GrapheneOS? I haven’t tested this in a very long time and then I was on stock. Android.

[–] snowdriftissue@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It does in fact work with GOS. I don't believe this build has been released yet though so you likely still need to toggle it on in the dev settings.

[–] djdarren@piefed.social 7 points 2 months ago

I last tried out the beta version of it on Graphene a couple of months back and it was rough. In fairness though, I was mostly using it to figure out how to use it to install a full fat Linux distro, which is probably a niche use.

My phone's just updated, so I'll give it another spin when I get home tonight and report back.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

last thing I want is an android pc. well maybe not the last but nope

[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I found these kind of features really useful. I had to submit some documents that I needed to do some work on before they got sent off. Everything was local, and with a keyboard/monitor/mouse I could have a browser, my email, and the document I was editing on the screen at the same time. So much faster typing and clicking.

I use my Steamdeck for that more often now if I just want a desktop while i am traveling if I don't want to bring the laptop. I just mount the phone as a folder, so even that is easy.

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[–] ITGuyLevi@programming.dev 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It works okay, but not great for me. I toss my phone on one of my old laptops docking station at work, but some apps like to force a shit resolution. It is pretty neat having them in moveable windows though.

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[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago (4 children)

I have a 9a running Graphene and with a "usb C laptop dock" I can use it in "desktop mode", but I would warn that it is still EXTREMELY buggy and finnicky.

Still neat though.

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[–] kokesh@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've bought 1920x1200 IPS screen from temu. It is small, runs off the phone (if you want) power and works brilliantly. I'm using Windows RDP to use my desktop anywhere I want in the house. Works great for a few month, I had lower resolution for a couple updates, but the current version running on Android 17 Beta2 works just fine, at full resolution.

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[–] arcine@jlai.lu 5 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Since I have to carry a keyboard anyway, I'm just going to carry a full laptop instead.

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[–] duncan_bayne@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (7 children)

There is no such thing as an Android PC.

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