Microsoft Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 recently pushed out an Android 12L update that brings a Windows 11-style design, along with new wallpapers and numerous tweaks to design elements, a new stylus menu, and more. Most recently, Surface Duo enthusiast Shane Craig shared the new feature that allows access to Windows PCs via the Remote Desktop (RDP) app using a Surface Duo device.
Shane Craig shows these details in his YouTube video, which is available when the device is plugged into the dock and demonstrates how the “Forced Desktop Mode” feature works.
The feature currently exists in developer mode. It can be activated by first enabling Developer Mode and going to Settings > System > Developer Options. Users can then switch to the “Force Desktop Mode” option, which is described as “force experimental desktop mode on the secondary display”.
Once activated and the device is inserted into the dock, no changes will be seen on the Surface Duo device end, and Shane Craig noted that the dock connects to the monitor, keyboard and mouse, and the device will still work with the bottom dock attached. The computer monitor will display the remote desktop application icon, which the user can click to operate. The option to connect to a network or cloud-based available Windows PC. also allows adding more PCs and connecting other applications.
