Comment by ProAm

5 days ago

Is there any Android app that is worth using on a PC? Not being snarky, I cant see anything on Android being good enough for a desktop app that is used regularly. Most of the Android apps I use are the 'best of the worse' and I have to use them because there is no other options.

13 comments

ProAm

Reply
pbmonster  4 days ago

Tons. Top of my head: native OpenStreetMaps (with offline maps, support for GPS and compass, turn-by-turn navigation), every single transit app, banking apps, and - of course - the camera app.

The point about online banking is a bit dubious, but all my banks have decided that the Android app may conduct online banking alone, and it may verify a desktop session; but not the other way around.

dktp  4 days ago

I used to main Pixelbook (1st gen) for about a year. ChromeOS really is enough for the majority of day to day stuff. For development it allows you to run linux environment inside ChromeOS

I can only assume the Aluminium OS would aim to do the same

makeitdouble  4 days ago

Google's services tend to be better on android than on the web. Gmail for instance has multi-account support with a unified inbox. You could get a third party client to do it, but I don't know any really good ones TBH, so getting the android app on desktop/tablets is kinda nice. Photos is also significantly better on android.

Social apps, messaging apps, parking/dedicated payment apps also tend to have miserable web support.

rs186  4 days ago

Based on my experience using DeX, no. Most never considered "desktop" as a use case, so their UI is terrible on a 27 inch screen, and keyboard navigation is either non-existent or very awkward.

Oh, maybe the browser, so we are back to ChromeOS.

  • makeitdouble  4 days ago

    To nuance a bit, sure most application aren't designed to be blown up to 27", but then they don't need to. Tiling two or three applications side by side already gives a decent sizing, and it will probably come down to the window manager to make it an good proposition. After all, we also don't use every app fullscreen on desktops, it doesn't need to be mandatory.

    Chrome OS was already supporting windowed android apps, I'm typing this on the experimental desktop mode for Pixel phones, and it's not ready for prime time but it's usable enough. I could totally see a refined version of it.

    What Google will do with the linux subsystem that was available on ChromeOS is the more interesting part IMHO. Do they just ignore that part or do we get something equivalent.

    • rs186  3 days ago

      > most application aren't designed to be blown up to 27", but then they don't need to.

      The point is that almost any windows/linux/Mac desktop application handles it much better than Android apps, which is what the question was asking.

drpixie  4 days ago

And it's been possible to run android on x86 for years. It's just that nobody wants to, except for app developers ... because you wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't develop on a phone ;)

SapporoChris  4 days ago

For myself there are not any android apps that I need on my desktop. However it's important to look at things from a global perspective, not just personal.

There is a robust mobile gaming market worth hundreds of billions in USA alone.

gherkinnn  4 days ago

Some apps only (usably) exist on mobile, like Tinder or Tiktok. Not sure that niche is worth a full new OS though, but Googlers need their promotion so here we are.