Google quietly enabled display output on the Pixel 8 series with the latest beta

Google quietly enabled display output on the Pixel 8 series with the latest beta،

One of the Google Pixel's biggest weaknesses may have been partially fixed in the latest Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2. Surprisingly, the ability to mirror the phone's screen to an external display using a USB-C cable has been quietly enabled on the Pixel 8 series.

According to Android Authority (via Michael Rahman), Google reversed the situation with the recent release of Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2, enabling DisplayPort Alternate Mode by default on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. For this reason, users now see a “mirror display” option when connecting a compatible USB-C cable or adapter.

Pixel phones historically lacked DisplayPort Alternate Mode. This feature uses the USB-C port to transmit video signals, simplifying connections for laptops and mobile devices. On Pixel devices released before the 8 series, this feature was actually disabled at the hardware level, requiring a special DisplayLink adapter if you really wanted to use it.

However, with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google quietly added this feature to hardware while still not offering a native software option to use it, unless you enabled it with root access… until now . As discovered, Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 now automatically prompts you when you connect a compatible USB-C cable and asks if you want to mirror the screen.

Of course there are caveats

It's worth noting that using the feature in its basic form simply mirrors your phone's screen as-is. Unlike Samsung phones, Pixels don't have a robust desktop-like experience on external displays, such as DeX. Ironically, Android has offered a basic desktop mode since version 10, but it primarily serves as a development tool. This can, however, be enabled by enabling the “Force desktop mode” option in Android's developer options. Google has been working on a more refined user-facing version of Desktop Mode that many believe could debut with Android 15, although this is not confirmed. This redesign includes better handling of free-form windows, crucial for a flexible desktop.

Since the company did not include this feature in the QPR3 Beta 2 changelog, it remains unclear whether this current display output enablement was intentional or whether future updates will limit it. Some theories claim that Google intentionally withheld this feature from Pixel phones due to the lack of a mature desktop mode. This calls into question why Google would enable it now before its revamped desktop mode is officially revealed.

THE Pixel 8Google's new screen mirroring, whether intentional or not, hints at Google's desktop ambitions. The company's silence makes guessing games necessary, but one thing seems clear: stock Android comes close to the desktop flexibility seen on competitors like Samsung DeX.