What is limiting us from forcing desktop mode (not DEX)? (2024)

I know DEX isn't supported. When trying to force desktop mode w/ a various Usb-c HDMI dongles nothing happens.

Q: Do we actually know if this is a Samsung hardware limitation or lock out in the software/kernel?

I'd think it's gotta be a software/firmware limitation, as the hardware can seemingly handle it.

My guess is Samsung did this w/the battery capacity in mind, not wanting to field any complaints about poor battery life while using DeX/desktop mode.

Did you enable ALL of the required settings in Developer Options?

Now that you mentioned it, I also vaguely remember reading somewhere that this one doesn't do video out from the USB-C. That may also be a part of it.

twistedumbrella said:

Did you enable ALL of the required settings in Developer Options?

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Thank you for replying! I did enable "force desktop mode" and "enable freeform windows". Anything else I need to do?

jacobsson said:

Thank you for replying! I did enable "force desktop mode" and "enable freeform windows". Anything else I need to do?

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After doing some investigation, there is no video out on this phone. Unfortunately, that means it likely won't ever work. That said, here are the other two options that would normally be used:

"Force activities to be resizable" allows resizing any app in multi-window, which helps if you were to resize them on the psedu-DeX view
"Enable freeform sizecompat" helps with apps that have compatibility settings that might break freeform with the standard option.

I purchased that NexDock Touch just after the Note 20 Ultra. I haven't gotten around to testing it with this one, but DeX was one of the harder things to give up.

twistedumbrella said:

After doing some investigation, there is no video out on this phone. Unfortunately, that means it likely won't ever work. That said, here are the other two options that would normally be used:

"Force activities to be resizable" allows resizing any app in multi-window, which helps if you were to resize them on the psedu-DeX view
"Enable freeform sizecompat" helps with apps that have compatibility settings that might break freeform with the standard option.

I purchased that NexDock Touch just after the Note 20 Ultra. I haven't gotten around to testing it with this one, but DeX was one of the harder things to give up.

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Thanks, I tried enabling those too just to see if anything changed. I'd love to know if the usb-c port lacks physical connections internally. I still wouldn't count out the software side of things, maybe we'll know when someone skilled look into making a custom rom.

jacobsson said:

Thanks, I tried enabling those too just to see if anything changed. I'd love to know if the usb-c port lacks physical connections internally. I still wouldn't count out the software side of things, maybe we'll know when someone skilled look into making a custom rom.

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If the hardware could support it, you would at least get mirroring.

... that's not to say wireless isn't an option down the line.

KOLIOSIS said:

I'd think it's gotta be a software/firmware limitation, as the hardware can seemingly handle it.

My guess is Samsung did this w/the battery capacity in mind, not wanting to field any complaints about poor battery life while using DeX/desktop mode.

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I don't understand this just because I also charge my phone while using the usb port. So...

jacobsson said:

I'd for sure donate to anyone who manage to unlock the ability to at least use "force desktop mode" on this device. Then we could at least make some kind of DIY DeX using the Taskbar app.

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Hardware

Limitation

The (likely) reason there is no video out is the cover. That is identified as a second screen, just like any connected to DeX. Being the first time the outside screen is a legitimate screen, Samsung probably couldn't get together the software to both limit the outside screen AND fully support an external display. The easiest solution would be disabling the ability altogether.

Does the Fold support DeX? That should give a pretty good indication of future possibility, but not until a future generation. The best we'll get on this one would be unlocking the cover and some sort of wireless screen share.

Multi-display​

The Force desktop developer option enables you to turn on system decoration support on all secondary displays. Force desktop mode also displays a mouse pointer on the secondary displays instead of on the default display. When used with the Enable Freeform windows developer option, Force desktop simulates a desktop experience with multi-window mode and the ability to resize windows.

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Looks like part of the issue is the cover screen blocking it

I use adb/scrcpy as kind-of 2nd screen workaround on my PC.

Simulate a 2nd Screen with your desired resolution on the phone and then use scrcpy to push this simulated screen to my PC. It crashes the phone sometimes - just reboot.

Not a Dex solution, but sth you can write emails with and use the browser.

msm1111 said:

I use adb/scrcpy as kind-of 2nd screen workaround on my PC.

Simulate a 2nd Screen with your desired resolution on the phone and then use scrcpy to push this simulated screen to my PC. It crashes the phone sometimes - just reboot.

Not a Dex solution, but sth you can write emails with and use the browser.

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Yeah I tried that too, not bad at all!
Seem to work really good for movie content and office applications as you mentioned.

I tested some gaming and I'm not sure if it's a limitation of the software but I tried some emulation such as Super Mario Bros. 3 and I noticed a lot of "dropped" frames when jumping, could have something to do with the image compression. If it could find some setting fixing this would actually be a really good work-around, using something like a raspberry pi as the middle hand.

jacobsson said:

[...]
If it could find some setting fixing this would actually be a really good work-around, using something like a raspberry pi as the middle hand.

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Well I am not playing. Using it for office stuff only and not very often. It is just too uncomfortable to set it up, reconfigure the phone and revert it all back afterwards.

The Flip is unfortunatly not made for it. A price I am happy to accept for the pocket-sized form ;-)