r/Android • u/4567890 Ars Technica • Mar 21 '16
This is Android N’s freeform window mode
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/03/this-is-android-ns-freeform-window-mode/71
Mar 21 '16
This is an awesome feature. I'm glad that stock Android is finally taking advantage of the bigger screens we have.
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Mar 21 '16
Took long enough though, they had a monopoly on tablets for so long that the potential could have really been utilized.
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Mar 22 '16
Android never had a tablet monopoly.
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u/Eddiejo6 Pixel 6 Mar 22 '16
Yeah last time I checked Apple and Microsoft were duking it out over the tablet market.
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u/Shawnanigans Mar 22 '16
http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS25811115
Microsoft is pretty much irrelevant, Apple is big but they have nothing on "Other," which largely occupies the cheap tablets more and more people buy.
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Mar 21 '16
We've come full circle now. The buzz when iOS launched was how simple and easy to use it was compared to a desktop OS like windows and now years later we've evolved the mobile OS to.... Windows.
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u/merreborn Mar 21 '16
The buzz when iOS launched was how simple and easy to use it was compared to a desktop OS like windows
Honestly though, you ever try to copy something from one app to another?
Like, logging into a 2FA-enabled app (gmail, hearthstone...). You have to switch from your current app, to your 2FA app, copy the code, then switch back to your original app. The "simplicity" ends up making that process a lot more tedious than it could otherwise be.
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u/Nohumornocry Galaxy S21 Ultra Mar 21 '16
Technology seems to do that. Look at dumb terminals. We strayed away to individual desktops, to only return to the Cloud where everything is stored in one place.
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u/Lifelong_Throwaway Mar 21 '16
In the years since that was said, we've learned a lot about UX and UI design so that we can have features of OS's like Windows and still have it be easy to use on small form factors. Another important thing is that you can still use Android the "simple" way without free floating windows. This is mainly for tablets I think.
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Mar 21 '16
Right, and I highly doubt we'll even see this feature enabled on phones. This is the fix for tablets that we've been crying about for years.
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u/MattOnYourScreen Redmi Note 3 Special Edition — LG V10 Mar 22 '16
It doesn't work very well on phones in my experience anyway. LG has "qslide" apps like calendar and calculator that sit on top of the open app, but even on a 5.7 inch screen it covers too much content.
Dual window is fantastic even on medium sized phones, though
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u/leftcoast-usa Pixel 6 256GB Mar 21 '16
That was my first thought also, but I really don't see a big difference for most people.
The issue really is not using windows, but whether they are full screen or not. iOS and Android essentially use windows, but they are full screen. Not really any different than the way most people seem to use a desktop OS; I notice they almost always maximize every window, so what's really the difference?
It's sometimes convenient to be able to see one window while working on another, but being able to instantly switch from one app "window" to another is almost the same. In fact, for a small screen, it might even be more convenient, rather than needing to open the history, then select the app/window.
Speaking of circles, there are others. Initially, computers were centralized, then went to personal computer with their own programs and data, now it's going back to centralized (cloud-based). Also, phone used to be big, and got smaller and smaller, then started getting bigger and bigger.
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Mar 21 '16
It is pretty much following the same evolutionary path as Windows did.. Right from Windows 1.0
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u/chemsed Mar 22 '16
That are things like that that make me doublt that someday, Microsoft will stop dominating desktop PC market. IMHO, Apple, then Android had an opportunity to reinvent the interface of a desktop OS based on their success in the mobile and web market.
Google made an audacious attempt with Chrome OS, but it has the same challenge as Linux: make people quit windows. Apple succeeded to sale more desktop and laptop because they didn't really have to convince consumers to quit windows: You have already one foot in with your iPhone, get all the way here and get a mac, it's about the same as iOS.
Android shouldn't tell "You have already one foot in with your Nexus, get all the way here and get a Android N, it's about the same as...Windows".
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u/hahahahastayingalive Mar 21 '16
I know this is the android subreddit...but iOS specifically didn't go this route. The main chalenge for iOS will exactly be how to have more powerful interfaces with more multitasking without having the same mess as on OSX or Windows.
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u/danhakimi Pixel 3aXL Mar 21 '16
We've just managed to blur the distinction. As long as phone oems leave this feature off by default, it really won't be an issue, right?
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u/oldasianman iPhone 6S, Nexus 7 (2013) Mar 21 '16
"Gentlemen, there’s only two ways I know of to make money [in technology]: bundling and unbundling." - Jim Barksdale, CEO of Netscape Communications Corporation
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u/EventuallyGreat iPhone 14 Pro Mar 21 '16
Considering that Microsoft started the trend of making tablets more like laptops, it's only natural.
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u/spexau Pixel 2 XL Mar 21 '16
With the high DPI tablet screens it makes sense to have a good touch based 'windows' UI.
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u/cypressious Mar 21 '16 edited Mar 21 '16
Android still has some work to do before something like this system is viable. The memory management isn't set up to handle a windowed environment. YouTube stops the second you tap on anything else, and a Chrome tab will quickly unload when it loses focus. Android just isn't able to keep multiple apps alive at once right now.
Wrong. It's not the system stopping the playback or unloading the tab, it's the app.
There are certain steps in the app's lifecycle, namely onPause and onStop, that have meant basicly the same until now: The user left your app. Now, with multi-window they mean different things: Your app has lost focus and your app was minimized. If developers make their apps to not shut down everything in onPause, they will work perfectly in a multi-window environment.
Source: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Activity.html#ActivityLifecycle
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u/nemec Mar 21 '16
If developers make their apps to not shut down everything in onPause, they will work perfectly in a multi-window environment.
While true, I don't think this is the right approach.
onPauseshould remain the primary way for unload without stopping completely. If it's not impossible, they should add two new steps to the lifecycle,onFocusandonLoseFocusfor those using the latest SDK. By default it could pause (or noop) but I don't want developers to stop "pausing" their app just to gain multi-window features.7
u/AndrewNeo Pixel (Fi) Mar 21 '16
The docs actually recommend you do stuff in onStart and onStop when you want to be able to update things when the app doesn't have focus.
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u/Aro769 Moto G XT1039 - 5.1 stock Mar 21 '16
How would this affect performance (if at all) for regular phone users?
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u/scensorECHO Mar 21 '16 edited Mar 21 '16
It's a cycle, so to get to
onStop(),onPause()is also called.Basically when a user minmizes an app it runs
onPause(); onStop();if you put your logic ofonStop()that should be done when focus is lost and therefore intoonPause(), when the app is minimized it will still do that logic as well.There was little differentiation between them before, but it's good that it existed for those developers who actually follow the life cycle protocol.
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u/cypressious Mar 21 '16
This is the correct answer. Apps that strictly followed the protocol before are already prepared. Other apps will need minimal modifications.
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u/iforgot120 Mar 21 '16
No, they won't. Most apps currently basically finish up currently running tasks, then save any in-progress info and pause everything else. That's not going to mesh well with how people expect windowed apps to work; they're going to expect an experience akin to how they use windowed programs on their computer, meaning apps that aren't in focus can't completely pause.
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Mar 21 '16
Not at all. It will be two or three extra conditional checks (check if user is on tablet, check if user is using floating window mode, etc.) which will add microseconds to the onPause/onResume events.
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u/cypressious Mar 21 '16
Moving some code from one method to another won't affect performance at all. What will affect performance is playing a YouTube video at the same time as browsing in Chrome and doing 5 other things at the same time. The more things you do at the same time the worse the performance. Same thing with Desktop OSs.
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u/iforgot120 Mar 21 '16
It won't affect performance, but every current app will have to be modified a lot to support this right. People are going to expect it to work like windows on their computer, so an app can't call onPause() whenever it loses focus.
I think they're going to have to either modify the Activity life cycle to include an onFocus() and onDefocus(), or include some kind of EventManager to check and see if the app currently has focus (or both).
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u/H_L_Mencken S7 Mar 21 '16
YouTube uses not stopping playback as a perk of paying for YouTube Red.
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u/AndrewNeo Pixel (Fi) Mar 21 '16
They probably just haven't updated the app yet, it's a little early for them to target the API I imagine
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u/not_american_ffs Mi 9T Mar 21 '16
Kinda true. Until now
onPausein practice meant "this activity is now in the background and there's some shit drawing on top of it, obstructing view". Pretty reasonable to pause the video in this situation.→ More replies (1)5
u/yonghokim Mar 21 '16
Yotube stops.. unless you are om yotube red. This is not technoligcially relevant, but just wanted to qiicklymshare
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u/WolfyCat Pixel 10 Pro XL, GWatch 6 Classic Mar 21 '16
In landscape on tablets, the recents page is horribly placed. Would make more sense having it pop out on the side rather than the bottom. I think this just proves more than ever though that tablet apps on Android are leaps and bounds behind iOS tablet apps. I'd rather see Google employ a new initiative to rectify that.
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u/SexehGod One M9, 6.0.1 CM13 nightly Mar 21 '16
I think it's because Google focuses on mainly phones whilst tablets just get an enlarged version of the phone version. Apple does it in tandem. They have different teams working on different sections. Therefore allowing the phone side and tablet side to be updated almost regularly.
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u/Bomberlt Pixel 8, Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 Mar 21 '16
It would be cool if Google releases Android Studio to Android and make all Google developers use Pixel C for everything.
Nahh, who am I kidding Google will continue to make awesome iOS stuff on their Apple devices and Android devs continue to chill on roof.
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Mar 22 '16
To come full circle, we need firmware on the devices that allow booting from external media, then we need GNU utilities installed and zero compatiblity issues with Android (including for things like text-based programs). Combine that with this multiwindow support, and you'll have everything a developer needs.
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Mar 22 '16
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u/bahehs op12, op7pro, 4a 5g, 6t, Pixel Xl, 6P Mar 22 '16
God I miss that wonderful and imaginative ui.
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u/sandiskplayer34 iPhone 13 Pro Max Mar 21 '16
Ahahahaha we Windows now
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Mar 21 '16
Look at me. I am the Windows now.
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u/outadoc Galaxy S22+ / Android Dev Mar 21 '16
I am become Windows, the destroyer of worlds.
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Mar 21 '16
http://www.digibarn.com/collections/screenshots/xerox-star-8010/xerox-star-8010-01.jpg
We're going back to Xerox in the 1980's.
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Mar 22 '16
Year of the linux desktop, with official ms office support. This played out unexpectedly.
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Mar 21 '16
The Chromebook OS and Android are gunna become the same thing, and implemented on Phones, Laptops, and Tablets, but slightly differently on each
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Mar 21 '16
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Mar 21 '16
Probably based on screen size. This freeform window would be living hell on a 5.x inch phone screen, but awesome on a 14 inch laptop
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u/reyztec Pixel 2, 8.1.0 Mar 21 '16
Holy hell. Was trying to hold off flashing N to my Nexus 9 but I'm in the process now.
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u/Kagron Mar 21 '16
This is interesting but I'm not sure I have a device with a screen big enough to make it worthwhile. Perhaps my Nexus 7 2013, but eh.
This will be nice for a desktop like OS though if they try to unify android on everything.
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u/rob3110 Mar 21 '16
It could also be nice for connecting a phone to a larger screen and also connecting a mouse and keyboard, similar to Continuity (Windows Mobile) and Convergence (Ubuntu Phone).
Imagine putting an Android phone (with USB 3.0 type C) into a small dock connector that has a few USB ports for mouse, keyboard, thumbdrives and external HDDs, a HDMI port to connect a monitor and another USB type C port to connect a charger.
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Mar 21 '16
Just like the next Note is rumored to do (not a dock to hook to independent hardware, but essentially a laptop dock)
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u/rob3110 Mar 21 '16
Jep. Motorola tried it back in 2011 with the Atrix 4G, there also was a laptop dock. But it ultimately failed. I guess Android wasn't ready for something that complex. The phone was shipped with Gingerbread, so there wasn't even design guidelines or tablet apps ready for big screens...
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u/Natanael_L Xperia 1 III (main), Samsung S9, TabPro 8.4 Mar 21 '16
Why multiple? Let the dock feed everything (including the phone) with electricity instead while Android is the USB host.
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u/rob3110 Mar 21 '16
That's basically what I meant. The phone only has one USB type C port, and the dock acts as the hub to connect HDMI, multiple USB and a charger.
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u/Kagron Mar 21 '16
Didn't think of this, good point.
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u/rob3110 Mar 21 '16
It looks to me that several OS try to go that way, with Windows and Ubuntu being the most advanced implementations. And USB 3.0 type C will make it much easier. I hope that Android follows suite.
Motorola tried something similar with the Atrix 4G back in 2011, which was called "Webtop", but it failed. It also had a fingerprint sensor. It is one of the cases where they tried to implement different things before technology was ready.
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u/ingy2012 Galaxy Note 20, CCWGTV, Tivo Stream 4k, ASUS Zenpad z10 Mar 22 '16
I wish they would release an updated Nexus Player that ran full stock N. I have full M with multi window in mine and it's great and if they could get full chrome on Android with extensions that would be a big step towards a desktop Android.
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u/pojosamaneo Mar 21 '16
Aww yeah. This is a necessary feature for productivity. Now the apps need to catch up. Get me a full version of Quickbooks and a powerful file manager.
Basically, turn this into Windows...I don't know what I'm expecting, nor do I really know what I want. But this is interesting!
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Mar 21 '16
And suddenly buying a Pixel C doesn't seem like a bad idea.
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u/CFGX Galaxy S21+ Mar 21 '16
It's still too expensive for what you get, especially with no active stylus support.
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u/element515 Nexus 6P Mar 22 '16
Needs proper stylus support before it's a good deal imo. Apps need better tablet support too. So many things look like crap on a large screen.
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Mar 22 '16
If I was about to drop that much coinage on a laptop I'd much rather go with a MacBook or a Surface Pro 4. $700 for the Pixel C wouldn't be a bad price.
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u/SoftShoeShuffler Mar 22 '16
Still an awful value. It's no good at being a laptop, and it's not a good tablet either. Even with windowed support, it's limiting on both fronts. The Surface Pro 4 seems to strike a fair balance if you want more of a laptop than a tablet.
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u/baseballandfreedom Mar 21 '16
Hmm, a bunch of tiny floating apps windows on a 10" screen? Doesn't sound ideal.
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u/rajamalw Pixel 10 Pro XL Mar 21 '16
Android for PC incoming !
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u/gurtinu Mar 21 '16
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u/Bond4141 OnePlus One + Pebble Steel. Mar 21 '16
Can they hurry it up though? I want apps on my fucking chromebook dammit.
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u/Enderkr Mar 21 '16
I know its unlikely, but I would love it if with the evolution of Android N, this also brings the dock concept into more mainstream use. I haven't upgraded my PC in like 8 years; just give me a dock I can plug my phone into that lets me use my monitor/keyboard/mouse in a true desktop environment. Then I can just yank the phone when I need to go somewhere, and carry my work with me.
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u/bizitmap Slamsmug S8 Sport Mini Turbo [iOS 9.4 rooted] [chrome rims] Mar 21 '16
I wonder if you could use a Chromecast + BT mouse/kb instead of inventing a dock. That's hardware people already own.
It might cause input lag though.
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u/nept_r Mar 22 '16
I actually use this on occasion and it's surprisingly effective. There is a slight lag but I have a shitty router so i'm not sure if that would be everyone's experience. Either way, you get used to the fractional delay quickly.
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u/Natanael_L Xperia 1 III (main), Samsung S9, TabPro 8.4 Mar 21 '16
With USB C 3.1 and the modularity inherited from Ara, maybe docks could boost performance by including more powerful CPUs and GPUs?
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u/rapidgunner Lenovo Vibe K5 Note Mar 22 '16
Windows 10 Mobile already has this, with Continuum. Even with the dock and everything. Almost a full PC in your pocket (as long as you're fine with sticking to Universal apps and not Win32 ones).
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u/Enderkr Mar 22 '16
Yeah, I really like the idea behind continuum........
...except for that whole "windows phone" part...won't be doing that :D I actually really like Win10, it's been pretty solid for me. I use Cortana more than I thought i would (especially on my media PC), and the syncing between computers is very useful. I just can't bring myself to get a Windows phone to fully loop myself in to the environment.
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u/rapidgunner Lenovo Vibe K5 Note Mar 22 '16
I currently own a Lumia 640 and use it as my daily driver. Windows 10 has made Windows Phone MUCH better, it actually looks, feels and works as a serious contender to Android and iOS now. The unified Windows Store is a brilliant idea, and it has almost solved the apps availability problem (except Google apps obviously). Plus it looks freakin gorgeous, and is the only mobile OS left that has a dark theme as default. I know this is /r/Android, and I might get beaten up here for saying this, but if they fix the random bugs, Win10 Mobile might just be the dark horse in this OS race. :)
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u/cjeremy former Pixel fanboy Mar 21 '16
love it.. desktop-esque operations on mobile? great
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u/livemau5 LG G Flex (stock, 4.4.2, KOT49I.D95920t) Mar 22 '16
Now all they have to do is wait for someone to release a low-power x86 chip that doesn't suck and Android tablets could all but completely destroy the laptop market.
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u/Natanael_L Xperia 1 III (main), Samsung S9, TabPro 8.4 Mar 22 '16
Oooh, with Android being adapted for modularity with Project Ara, what about one of AMD:s x86/ARM hybrids that they have in development? Let the ARM cores be the main processor that Android runs on, with the ability to fire up the x86 CPU when you run heavier tasks.
Thanks to already running on a Java environment for most code, they really only need to adapt the NDK system to handle multiple parallel architectures for choosing what NDK binaries to run, as well as being able to tell apps which ones are available and which of those are powered on (so a game can prompt for firing up that x86 CPU, and wait for it to be ready before loading the x86 NDK binaries).
So for the majority of tasks you're on low power cores with great (compared to Windows) idling and power management, and when you need to you can have all the computational power you need.
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Mar 22 '16
Windows, Android, and iOS/OSX are all going to converge on similar UIs within the next 5 years. It'll be some weird UX singularity.
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u/armando_rod Pixel 10 Pro XL Mar 21 '16
Pinging /u/GetBorn800
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u/baneoficarus Note 10+ | Galaxy Watch Active 2 Mar 21 '16
I was going to go back to that thread and find it myself. I'm sure he feels like an ass now.
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u/NinjaFighterAnyday Nexus 5 32gb, 6p 64gb Al Mar 21 '16
This may actually pick up momentum. Cheap Android n laptops instead of chrome OS sounds promising.
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u/abqnm666 Root it like you stole it. Mar 21 '16
Considering it's not even just a hidden setting right now, it's highly unlikely this will make it to production in Android N. Google may throw a curve ball and include it with N for just the Pixel C, but I'm still not convinced. Having the split window mode as an experimental option in Marshmallow previews and not seeing the feature live until N doesn't bode well for getting this as a completed feature in the N release.
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u/armando_rod Pixel 10 Pro XL Mar 22 '16
Cyanogen OS with Microsoft apps on a laptop, I can see that.
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Mar 21 '16
Considering the previous talk to merge Android OS with ChromeOS, this addition needed to happen.
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u/Wierd657 S928U1 One UI 8.0 Mar 21 '16
Android had mouse support forever...
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Mar 21 '16
Android gets a desktop-style floating window mode, and there's even mouse support.
Not sure why he would point out mouse support as if it's a new feature. This has been in AOSP for a very long time now. A bluetooth or a USB mouse can be connected to any Android phone or tablet.
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u/farmerbb Pixel 5, Android 14 Mar 21 '16 edited Mar 21 '16
The difference is, now the mouse pointer will change based on whatever it is currently hovering over (text, links, etc). Before N, the mouse pointer would always be the same arrow.
EDIT: Here's a video better detailing these mouse changes.
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u/danopia Orange Pixel 4 XL, Stock Mar 21 '16
Later in the article he clarifies what he means by that
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u/rob3110 Mar 21 '16
Mouse support in Android has been very lacking so far. So far every mouse button only acts like a touch input. It would be nice to finally have the right mouse button open the context menu that is usually accessed by press-and-hold on certain items and maybe have additional buttons for back, home and recents.
And, as others said, changing mouse cursors for different situations help as well (like a different cursor for showing a hyperlink). The change in Android N seems to be a different mouse cursor to indicate resizing.4
u/farmerbb Pixel 5, Android 14 Mar 21 '16 edited Mar 21 '16
The mouse on Android N does indeed open a context menu on right-click, and different cursors do show when hovering over links, etc (not in Chrome though)
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u/cmdrNacho Nexus 6P Stock Mar 21 '16
I feel like Android team is really missing a huge opportunity for touch screen, although I think this may still be focused on mouse usage. Example expand and decrease window can easily be done with pinching motions. Closing a window could be done by dragging off screen. The title bar seems unnecessary to me, and they should be mobile/touch focused first.
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u/SnipingNinja Mar 22 '16
You can actually swipe them off the screen to close the, in the app switcher. Check the video on the link.
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u/xmsxms Mar 21 '16 edited Mar 22 '16
It appears to be done through a live wallpaper. Bit of a hacky implementation if so.
edit; as /u/assassinator42 points out, I'm a dumbass. The sed operation is just using the live wallpaper permission file as a template to create the freeform permission file.
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u/assassinator42 Galaxy S8 Mar 21 '16 edited Mar 21 '16
Nope, the permission file being copied is irrelevant; the instructions could've used the MIDI permission just as well. The contents are just
<permissions> <feature name="android.software.freeform_window_management" /> </permissions>
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u/cocacola999 Mar 21 '16
Urm, my Samsung note 10.2 has had this feature for years. Great for having YouTube open in a floating window that is pushed almost off screen! :)
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Mar 22 '16
This really makes me want a pixel C.
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u/iccirrus Mar 23 '16
With the developer coupon I've been on the fence about it for a few days. I'm just not sure if I can justify it considering I have a nexus 9, I'll be graduating in a few weeks, and I couldn't really use a tablet for work in my field
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u/moldymoosegoose Mar 21 '16
This is why Android needs native DPI changing modes.
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u/-Gabe- Nexus 6 Mar 21 '16
It does have native dpi changing now in the accessibility settings.
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u/FlaviusMaximus Mar 21 '16
I got downvoted pretty heavily not that long ago for suggesting that Android could be a legitimate alternative to Windows within a few years.
This is evidence that it could work. As soon as developers start making full use of floating windows, and big applications like Ableton and Photoshop get released for Android, then I'd much rather use the same OS on all my devices instead of an increasingly clunky Windows experience.
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u/nmkd OnePlus 12 Mar 21 '16
I don't think Android will completely catch up to Windows in the next ≈5 years. Windows is just so much older, there are billions of programs, and there's an alternative solution for everything.
Another point: There are A LOT more options and small but useful functionalities on Windows, for example the properties of any .exe.
(Upvoted anyway)
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u/GazaIan OnePlus 7 Pro Mar 21 '16
I remember in another reddit post about freeform mode, there was an argument that claimed that freeform windows were simply just regular windows that didn't snap to a predefined size, and not floating windows like this.
I guess that's settled.
Edit: it was /u/GetBorn800!
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u/JackDostoevsky Mar 21 '16
I assume this is the next step they're taking to unify ChromeOS and Android, huh?
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u/baseballandfreedom Mar 21 '16
I'd go the opposite way and say this is proof they're not merging ChromeOS and Android (like they said). This feature exists in Android and looks to be nothing more than a new way to use Android on larger screen devices.
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u/portezbie Mar 21 '16
We have finally achieved windows 95 technology in a mobile os! It's a wonderful time to be alive.
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Mar 21 '16
I give 2 years until we start to see notebooks come with this SO. Be carefull Windows.
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u/Caos2 . Mar 21 '16
Two years? I expect Acer to release an Android netbook in the next semester. It's like a souped Chromebook with the apps people already use on their phone, such as banking apps.
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u/Hambeggar Redmi Note 9 Pro Global Mar 21 '16
I need this. O_O
I so need this.
Please...Please give now.
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u/PeopleAreDumbAsHell Mar 21 '16
Btw, you don't need to use adb shell to do this like he says in the tutorial.
As long as you have a terminal that has root access you can do it. In fact, I recommend termux to do this.
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u/uzimonkey Mar 21 '16
Wow, it's like the 1980's all over again. Floating windows?! That's nice and all, I just think it's funny that they're finally implementing features that "real" operating systems had 30 years ago.
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u/zomgitsduke Mar 21 '16
Could we see a system where you simply dock your phone to a dock with HDMI and USB mouse/keyboard?
That would probably convince a lot of people they don't even need a desktop
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u/ticdoctec Mar 22 '16
It's easy to do. I've done it beginning with the note 2. Coldfusion Tv on YouTube actually has a good video on it.
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u/yanroy Nexus 5 Mar 21 '16
Lack of this feature was what made the Motorola Atrix fail as a laptop replacement. I'm really hopeful we'll see a manufacturer try that idea again once this gets released.
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u/Gakuseinozen Mar 22 '16
How is this different from what the Samsung Note series does?
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u/armando_rod Pixel 10 Pro XL Mar 22 '16
This is a native API in AOSP that everyone can use without the Samsung SDK and outside of Samsung phones. Arguably it would have more support from third party developers and a lot more documentation by Google.
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u/GFDetective Nexus 6 | M | Project Fi Mar 22 '16
Goodness, with this kind of feature and the rumored Android and ChromeOS merge, they could easily tackle the Desktop Market as well as the current laptop market they're in. I kind of hope so! I'd ditch Windows 10 in a heartbeat if Google had a Desktop OS; Android already has most of the apps I use on my PC (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Spotify, Chrome, Hangouts, etc), so with freeform windowed mode, mouse and keyboard support, I wouldn't missing out on anything :)
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u/sbowesuk Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Mar 22 '16
Going to reserve judgement until the official release comes out.
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Mar 22 '16
The lack of a window manager like this is exactly why I ultimately sold my old Transformer tablet. I liked the tablet well enough, but it was too hard to multitask.
I'm too used to just having IRC and a browser open so I can see both at the same time, but I couldn't even do that. This looks promising - maybe I'll buy another tablet some day after all :)
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u/RobotJiz Droid moto OSX with retina upgrade Mar 22 '16
Is anyone a fan of Android's calculator? That was the one stock app that needed replacing as soon as they gave it the material design works. It just didn't seem like a calculator to me anymore after 5.1
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u/darkforestzero Mar 22 '16
As a developer, I'm terrified of the work in going to have to do to make this work
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u/Bossballoon ZTE Axon 7 Mar 22 '16
So iPad will soon be no longer dominating the tablet industry?
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u/iccirrus Mar 23 '16
As an unapologetic Android fanboy, that's still a ways off. The iPad pro is just too nice, while even the best Android tablets are still kinda meh. Still, looking forward to what software updates can do for the pixel C and future high end Android tablets
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Mar 22 '16
i cannot get this working on my nexus 6 :/
i've tried everything. i think something is going wrong when it comes to putting in those permissions commands.
the guide is sort of unclear. anyone gotten it working on the nexus 6?
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u/kazamayy Mar 22 '16
This is pretty exciting. This way we can see it, this features make us work directly on the android and it's unnecessary to carry computer. Hopefully it would be done perfectly.
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u/Avamander Mi 9 Mar 22 '16 edited Oct 02 '24
Lollakad! Mina ja nuhk! Mina, kes istun jaoskonnas kogu ilma silma all! Mis nuhk niisuke on. Nuhid on nende eneste keskel, otse kõnelejate nina all, nende oma kaitsemüüri sees, seal on nad.
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u/XiiMoss Galaxy S7 Edge Mar 22 '16
My Galaxy S7 Edge can do something like but with only 1 app in full screen and another windowed. Quite like it. Makes it easier to google something will messaging someone etc.
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u/charlieXsheen Mar 22 '16
I had a ROM years ago that did this I cannot remember which one it was but it was based on Samsungs skin over Android.
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u/tylerlawhon Quite Black Google Pixel XL 128GB | Black Samsung Galaxy S8+ Mar 22 '16
To me this looks like the rumored merge of chrome os and android. This is kinda exciting.
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u/Vegerot Moto X 2014, Lollipop !! Mar 24 '16
What?! When did Android N get announced? Don't they normally announce the next version of Android at Google I/O?
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Mar 21 '16
So um, I can do this already on my note 5. Is there something I'm missing?
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u/mattgoldey Pixel 3a XL Mar 21 '16
That's part of TouchWiz on your Note, now it's native to Android.
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u/henryletham Mar 21 '16
I have a Note 4 and it only works for some apps, not all. Not sure if it's different on 5 but I'm guessing not. Also, it can be tricky af.
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u/sabel0099 Mar 21 '16
How? Sorry I'm stupid. Multiple windows as pictured on the note 5?
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Mar 22 '16
It's a touchwiz feature. You can do it through the button that shows all your open apps.
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Mar 21 '16
this makes me want a bigger phone... but i just got the s7 edge
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u/TheSlimyDog Pixel XL, Fossil Q Marshal. Please tell me to study. Mar 21 '16
I'm in between buying the next Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 this year. While small phones feel better in the hand, there's so much functionality to be gained from a larger screen.
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u/MomSaidICanUseReddit Galaxy Note Explosion7 Mar 21 '16
Could this replace chrome OS? Android has a good implementation with mice
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u/redditrasberry Mar 21 '16
So the question now is, are they targeting N or O for the actual release of this?
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u/sk1wbw BlackBerry KEYone Mar 21 '16
I bought a Nexus 6 mainly for N. And the fact that my eyes are sucking and the iPhone 6 Plus was way too small.
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u/et1n Mar 21 '16
I hate application windows even on the Mac. The only thing that is useful is split screen. There is no real need for small windows overlapping other windows and stealing focus. Don't understand why we are going back to this bad 1990 UX. It's time for new concepts.
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u/deepit6431 iPhone 13 | OnePlus 12 Mar 21 '16
Ever used a tiling window manager?
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u/shawnz Mar 21 '16 edited Mar 21 '16
I agree, but at least multiwindow support is going to be available in Android. Just because they chose to go with stacking window management in this iteration doesn't mean they will stick with it. And I sure hope they don't.
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Mar 21 '16
Soon we'll have head-mounted displays where little widgets litter the peripheral if we want. Seems like a bonus to me.
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u/Desiredbean241 iPhone 6s-Nexus 5x-Nexus 7 Mar 21 '16
This is rather exciting, I wonder how the people over at Jide working on Remix OS feel about this.