Support for Android Apps in Extended Desktops is Coming to Chromebooks

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Since Android app support came to Chromebooks, Google has been working tirelessly in order to make these apps look and feel more integrated into the Chrome OS system. While Android app support itself is still in beta, we’ve seen true improvements. Apps work way more fluently compared to before, and with Android Nougat, apps can be opened in phone orientation/form instead of just a full screen, tablet interface for all apps (you can also force freeform windows in Developer options). However, while it’s definitely usable up to this point, there’s still plenty of work to be done. Luckily, Google is addressing some of these issues.

Before, one of the most annoying limitations of Android app support was the inability to move Android apps across extended desktops. Google has addressed this behavior, also adding some additional improvements in order to make extended display workflow more easily manageable with Android apps. As discovered by ChromeUnboxed.com, Android apps can now be moved across all displays, like regular windows inside Chrome OS. The previous behavior locked Android apps to the Chromebook‘s primary display, making additional screens pretty useless when using Android apps. This changed behavior should come with the newest Chrome OS update in your Chromebook.

Also, if you closed an Android app inside your other displays and you open it again, the app will reopen in that same display. These two changes, added to all the previous Android app improvements, should make for a much more cohesive and comfortable experience if you use your Chromebook with multiple screens, and should feel like a much more finished product. Having in mind that lots of Chromebooks keep getting Android Nougat app support, we’re probably at the final stages of the beta, and way closer to the integrated experience Google promised almost a year ago. So, we’re excited for all the changes surely coming soon to future Chrome updates. If you want to learn more about these changes, head over to ChromeUnboxed.com to read more.