Android 16's desktop windowing is making me consider ditching my iPad for good
Android Police 2026-10-05 19:00:10
Context: Ben Khalesi, an AI engineer and journalist, is considering switching from his iPad Pro to an Android device due to the new desktop windowing feature in Android 16. The iPad Pro's software, iPadOS, has limitations in multitasking and customization, which Android 16's desktop windowing seems to address. This feature allows users to connect their Android device to a monitor and access a desktop-like experience.
Key Facts
- Android 16's desktop windowing feature allows users to connect a monitor to their device and access a desktop-like experience with a taskbar, launcher, and draggable app windows.
- The iPad Pro's Stage Manager feature, intended to improve multitasking, has limitations, such as preset layouts and a two-step process for accessing window controls.
- Android 16 uses passive window management, whereas iPadOS uses active window management, which can make window movements unpredictable.
- Android 16 offers a Linux Terminal powered by the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF), allowing users to run Debian Linux and desktop Linux apps like GIMP and LibreOffice.