Last week Google released Android 13 Developer Preview 1, and with it came a variety of features for developers to play with. One of which seems to let users stream apps to Chromebooks, Windows and Mac computers.
In Android 13 Developer Preview 1, developers have uncovered two new “Cross Device” service apps that make it possible to stream from a Pixel smartphone to Chromebooks and Windows 11 devices.
According to 9to5Google, the feature seems to work better on Windows and Mac than on Chrome OS’. With the web app, users can stream the app their currently using as a virtual second screen for their phone. Then the app then works with the user’s keyboard and mouse.
Alongside showing what’s on the phone’s display, the web app also sports a sidebar on the right that displays the notifications. Beside the sidebar are buttons for sending feedback, exiting opened apps, navigating back, and rotating the virtual display. Additionally, 9to5 indicates that you’ll be able to change the screen size, allowing users to emulate a tablet’s display depending onif the app you’re using features a different layout for smartphones and tablets.
There’s also a shortcut in the bottom left corner that opens up a basic app launcher, which can open any app on the user’s phone, and an integrated app on Chrome OS that replaces the web app you’d find on Windows or Mac. The integrated app is located in the Phone Hub in the bottom right corner and shows the most recently used apps.
Weirdly enough, there’s no access to an app launcher like in the Web or Mac version, and there’s also no way to change the device’s orientation.
It’s likely we’ll learn more about this feature when Android 13 officially launches or during Google’s I/O May developer conference.
Source: 9to5Google
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