What is Samsung Dex and how does it help you use your phone as a computer?
Samsung's DeX desktop platform - introduced in 2017 and then developed in 2019 - is a great way to use your Samsung phone to improve your productivity, as it provides you with a way to extend your smartphone to the desktop to get things done quickly.
Through this platform, you can easily access the applications installed in your phone on a larger screen, and use the associated mouse and keyboard to perform many tasks, such as: editing documents, browsing the web, responding to messages, and much more.
Samsung also improved the DeX platform at the end of 2019 to give you a new way to get things done, where you can set up another screen wirelessly that allows you to do bigger tasks on a bigger screen. You can connect the phone to a TV or computer screen to watch videos, enter the photo gallery app on your phone via the dedicated DeX UI user interface, and use your phone at the same time.
How to use the Samsung Dex platform with your phone and how to get the most out of it:
First: What are the requirements for using the Dex platform:
When Samsung introduced the Dex platform for the first time, it required the use of cables to connect the phone to the computer or TV screen, and although these cables are no longer required now, it makes it easier for you to connect all wired accessories, such as: mouse and keyboard if you do not have the models That works over a bluetooth connection.
Where you can connect your phone to a Windows or Mac computer via any USB-C-to-HDMI cable, in addition to that you must use a (Galaxy S9) or (Galaxy Note 9) or any later model, knowing that modern Samsung phones such as: ( Galaxy Note 20) can now use the (DeX) platform without cable as it can connect wirelessly via Wi-Fi.
To use the (DeX) platform, you must first install the (Samsung DeX) application for the platform on your computer, by visiting this link and installing the version compatible with your computer's operating system, after installing the application and connecting the phone to the screen, the phone will be detected automatically in the big screen.
Second: How to use the phone in a larger screen:
The desktop application of the (DeX) platform adds some unique features, such as: the ability to quickly transfer files from the phone to the computer, a utility to send text messages from the computer, and the use of the mouse and keyboard instantly.
Additionally, there are two modes that you can use in DeX:
- Modern Samsung Galaxy tablets can also activate DeX mode directly in the device itself, you only need to press the DeX button on the quick settings panel to switch to a desktop-like screen, in addition to that the official Samsung Galaxy Tablets keyboard cover contains a Dex mode button ) Custom.
- You can use the wireless connection mode with the TV screen using the Miracast broadcast protocol that is available on Note 20 and Galaxy S21 phones, and then if there is a TV screen or broadcast device that supports the wireless transmission protocol Miracast, such as: Amazon Fire TV, the connection address will be shown to you wirelessly .
Third: How to use your phone on the DeX platform:
After connecting your phone or tablet using the (Samsung DeX) application to a computer or TV, accept the prompt that asks if you want to start (DeX) mode. Sometimes you may also see a notification on the screen that allows you to enable the touchpad mode for your phone or tablet. Which means that you can control the cursor on a computer or TV screen by swiping on the screen of your phone or tablet.
After making sure that the connection is successful, you can go to the DeX settings panel which is a good place to start, where you will see a shortcut to settings on the desktop, and from the menu you can access a variety of different options, such as: change the desktop wallpaper used by the program, font size, etc. Lots.
You can also click on the small applications network icon at the bottom left of the screen, to display the list of applications and launch the applications you want, and you can also move them using the window title bar, change its size using the edges of the windows, enlarge and reduce it using the buttons in the corners, and pin it to the taskbar .
Fourth: Notes that you should pay attention to:
- Not all Android applications that you use will work perfectly, but the vast majority of them will adapt well when opened to the big screen, especially productivity applications, such as: Microsoft Office applications.
- Realized that you are only operating your smartphone, but with a different interface and different input methods - if you have a mouse and keyboard set up - you will continue to log into all your apps, and your browsing history and bookmarks will still appear in the mobile browser version.
- Samsung warns that your phone may overheat while DeX is running, due to the rapid draining of the phone's battery.
- Using your phone through the DeX platform is a useful solution if you need to do some quick work, such as quickly typing long messages via the keyboard instead of the phone keypad, so it is not recommended to connect the phone permanently to conserve its battery.