It has been confirmed! The Pixel 8 supports connection to external displays

It has been rumored that Google’s Pixel 8 could support the connection to an external display over its USB-C connection. Now it looks like the proof is in the pudding because according to a post on X by @mile_freak07, the feature has been spotted in action confirming that it exists.

This feature was initially discovered by Mishaal Rahman awhile ago where code was spotted referencing the feature, where it allowed users to connect the phone to an external display using a USB-C connection. The feature was locked behind software meaning that the capability is there, Google just didn’t allow users to access it yet.

New day, new Pixel 8 news.

But this time it´s really great news for a lot of people I suppose.

I was able to get display output over USB-C working on my Pixel 8 Pro by enabling the prop mentioned by @MishaalRahman in the quoted tweet. https://t.co/rqwfDhCCHw pic.twitter.com/34rzXk5az6

— Mile (@mile_freak07) October 15, 2023

Now based on this video, it seems that using a shell command on a rooted Pixel 8 will allow users to unlock the feature. Unfortunately, this means that not everyone will be able to do it themselves as not all users are familiar with the process of rooting, and also not everyone necessarily wants to root their phone.

We’re not sure why Google hasn’t enabled the feature for all users yet seeing that it isn’t due to hardware limitations, but maybe the feature isn’t quite ready for prime time and Google is still working on refining it. It is a pretty useful feature, especially if you’re traveling and need to make a quick presentation or show someone something on a larger display. In any case, hopefully it will be available in a future update.