Freeform multi-window mode will not make its way to Nexus devices with Android N [WATCH]

When Android N was released, one of the biggest additions was multi-window mode. This included being able to put apps side by side, making multi-tasking a breeze, but it also included freeform multi-window mode. Meaning that your devices would be able to act more like our PC’s and you would be able to move around and change the size of the various apps.

While the traditional multi-window mode will still be making its way to the final release of Android N, it seems that freeform multi-window mode will not. The feature already required a bit of hacking in order to turn the feature on, but according to Android Developer Advocate, Ian Lake, this will make its way to the final version.

In a video published to the Android Developers YouTube channel, Ian explains how to develop your various apps to support multi-window mode. During the video, it’s mentioned that while freeform multi-window API’s are available, the feature will be turned off for Nexus devices, while other manufacturers can implement this if they choose to.

This isn’t all that surprising, but it would still be awesome to have freeform multi-windows on a tablet like the Pixel C.

[Android Developers Blog via YouTube]