Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Samsung DeX for Windows is dead

Samsung DeX mode.
Nadeem Sarwar / DigitalTrends / Digital Trends

Samsung appears to have plans to retire support of its DeX Windows app upon releasing the OneUI 7 software update.

Android Authority recently observed updates on Samsung’s DeX page on its UK website that sais the DeX for Windows feature will be discontinued as of OneUI 7, which will be available in 2025. The company detailed that DeX for Windows users can transition to the Phone Link feature as an alternative.

Recommended Videos

“The DeX for PC on Windows OS will end support from One UI 7 version. We encourage customers to connect mobile phone and PC through the Link to Windows feature,” Samsung said on its website.

The DeX for Windows function allowed smartphone users to connect devices to a PC and transform a Windows environment into a Samsung DeX interface. The name itself was shorthand for “Desktop eXperience.”

While Phone Link does not have exactly the same function as DeX for Windows, it can serve as a suitable replacement in terms of being able to project your smartphone interface on your computer screen and run applications remotely. Phone Link can also be used wirelessly and serves multiple brands of Android phones outside of the Samsung ecosystem.

Samsung and Microsoft’s continued collaboration brought Phone Link to life for the brand’s smartphones and many other devices. There is no word on whether the discontinuation of DeX for Windows could lead to a feature overhaul on Phone Link. Even so, a recent leak on Samsung’s Spanish website revealed major visual and functional updates to Samsung’s One UI 7, including several AI updates.

Android Central noted that Samsung’s decision to retire DeX for Windows could likely be due to low usership. Samsung DeX will still be available; however, its compatibility will be targeted more toward TVs, monitors, and other larger-screen devices, the publication added.

Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh is a Computing Writer at Digital Trends. She covers a range of topics in the computing space, including…
PC gamers — Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 are officially dead
Windows 10 running on the Steam Deck.

We all knew it was coming, but it's still sad to see Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 go. Valve announced that it ended support for the three operating systems on January 1, 2024, essentially ending the life of the storied operating systems for the small batch of PC gamers still using them. We had a great run.

Before we cry foul that Valve is shuttering Steam support for potential users, understand that Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 only make up a total of 0.89% of all Steam users. That's not an insignificant number of users -- there are 31 million online users on Steam at the time of writing, nearly 10 million of which are playing games -- but I'd wager a large number of those users either have other, newer PCs, or aren't active on Steam most days.

Read more
This secret Samsung laptop may merge ChromeOS with DeX
A red Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 sits open on a table.

Samsung might be developing an Exynos-powered hybrid laptop essentially combining the DeX interface with ChromeOS.

Bringing back a codename from an unrealized concept in 2020 — the DeXBook — Samsung is once again rumored to be working on a Chromebook laptop with an integrated DeX interface. Exact details are sparse, except that the laptop is expected to utilize Exynos SoCs based on 5nm or 7nm nodes. Unlike DeX docks currently on sale, the hybrid DeXBook is looking for a more integrated approach.

Read more
Windows 11 just gained one of the primary reasons to buy a Mac
The Phone Link app being used on a phone and laptop screen.

The Apple ecosystem is the reason many people flock to the Mac over Windows devices. They already own an iPhone, so buying a Mac that works easily with it seems like an obvious next step.

Now, however, the highly requested Phone Link app for Windows 11 finally supports iPhone, finally making some of those ecosystem features a bit more cross-platform. The update to the app was announced in late April but is available to use today.

Read more