TL;DR
- Samsung will stop supporting its Samsung Dex system on Windows 7 and macOS machines.
- Support will cease in January 2022.
- Windows 7 users will need to upgrade to Windows 10 or 11. macOS users will need to swap systems.
There are several proprietary desktop systems for Android phones. They allow you to reconfigure the UI of your Android device so it looks and acts like a traditional desktop. If you connect a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and connect the whole thing to a monitor, you can replace your laptop or desktop PC.
For Samsung phones, the system is known as Samsung Dex. Although Dex works fine on its own in the configuration we just described, it also works within other operating systems, most notably Windows and macOS. There was a version for Linux in development, but that never came to be.
See also: Here’s how often you use your phone’s desktop mode
Starting in January 2022, though, Samsung Dex won’t see support on Windows 7 or macOS anymore (via SamMobile). To see the latest version and obtain support, Windows 7 users will need to upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows 11. Meanwhile, macOS users will need to either switch to Windows or use Dex in its standalone format (i.e. connected to a monitor/mouse/keyboard).
To be clear, Samsung Dex will still work on both Windows 7 and macOS if you already have it set up. You just won’t get any new updates and Samsung won’t help you if something goes wrong. Additionally, Samsung will no longer provide downloads for the software. We’re certain other sources will still supply that for users, however.
Dex is probably the most robust desktop mode for Android available, so it’s a shame to see it get these limitations. macOS users, in particular, will probably be pretty miffed. Hopefully, changing up your workflow won’t be too much of an ordeal!
