magisk-samsung-dex-standalone-mode

Magisk module to systemlessly enable Samsung DeX standalone mode by patching floating_feature.xml, it adds standalone value to SEC_FLOATING_FEATURE_COMMON_CONFIG_DEX_MODE key.

✅ Enables DeX standalone mode on supported phones.

✅ Compatible with magisk and kernelsu.

[Download latest release]

[Download repository]

Module requirements

• Samsung One UI based ROM installed, either stock or custom, doesn't matter
• Rooted phone with Magisk or KernelSU (aka KSU)
• No potentially conflicting modules installed that change or interact with floating_feature.xml, overlapping modules will cause problems.

Build Prerequisites

The build scripts require bash and the zip command to be installed and available in your PATH. Linux distributions usually provide them by default. Windows users can rely on WSL or Git Bash.

Other goodies

There are shell .sh and batch .bat scripts to use according to your OS. They now live inside the build-tools/ folder and are used for building and debugging the module.

Build related:

build-tools/build-create-module.* - Generates a new distribution ready ZIP module for installation.

build-tools/build-delete-module.* - Delete the current generated ZIP from folder.

build-tools/build-filelist.txt - Lists all files and folders to be included in the distribution ready ZIP module.

A Makefile is also provided for convenience with the targets: make build - create the ZIP module. make clean - remove the generated module. make test - run the shell tests. make lint - run shellcheck on all scripts.

Testing/debug related:

debug/debug-unmount.sh - Simple unmount script.

Run it after testing the module to unmount the patched file:

sh debug/debug-unmount.sh

Every boot post-fs-data.log a new log file is generated with debugging information, existing log file is always overwritten keeping space footprint small. It's usually located inside the modules folder /data/adb/modules/samsung-dex-standalone-mode.

Building

Run make build from the repository root to create magisk-samsung-dex-standalone-mode.zip using the paths listed in build-tools/build-filelist.txt. Use make clean to remove a previously generated ZIP. During development debug/debug-unmount.sh can be used to unmount the patched file.

Check floating_feature.xml file values by using su and then cat /system/etc/floating_feature.xml using your preferred terminal interface.

Testing

Run the shell based tests from the repository root with:

make test

Lint all shell scripts with:

make lint

Tests are also executed automatically in the CI pipeline.

Release workflow

A GitHub Actions workflow builds the module whenever a tag is pushed or a release is published. The resulting magisk-samsung-dex-standalone-mode.zip is saved as a workflow artifact and attached to the release.

Manual installation

After building the ZIP you can install it directly with Magisk:

magisk --install-module path/to/magisk-samsung-dex-standalone-mode.zip

Issues

"I'm having issues with gestures after exiting DeX" or similar

See Issue 2

"DeX is ignoring the notch", "Bar and DeX desktop doesn't go all the way" or similar

See Issue 3

Possible fix

TLDR: Change cutout simulation to double cutout, thanks to @admiralsym

Generic instructions on how to change the display cutout setting

• Enable Developer Options (If Not Already Enabled)
  • Go to Settings > About phone.
  • Tap Software information.
  • Tap Build number seven times until you see "Developer mode has been enabled."
• Open Developer Options
  • Go back to Settings.
  • Scroll down and select Developer options.
• Change the Display Cutout Setting
  • Scroll down and find Simulate display with a cutout.
  • Tap it and select Double cutout.

"Can't install zip", "Have an unzip error" or similar

See Issue 4

Possible fix

TLDR: Use termux to manually install zip, thanks to @hzykiss

• Use a terminal emulator like termux.
• Do su to get root privileges.
• Run magisk --install-module full_path_of_the_module.zip to install the module manually.

Questions & Answers

Thanks to @WilsonBradley and @foxypiratecove37350 for their questions, adapted for comprehension.

Q. Does this require a Samsung device?

• A. It does indeed, a Samsung but more precisely a Samsung based ROM with DeX in it.

Q. By "Standalone mode" - does this mean DeX can be started on device itself at will (no HDMI connection required)?

• A. YES, this what the module actually pretends to solve.

Q. Could DeX be screen shared to another Android device?

• A. This is a Android/DeX specific question but my guess is no?, if you know better open an issue.

Q. Can it work on non-Samsung devices, or Samsung devices that don't support DeX?

• A. Short is answer no. Long answer is any Samsung based ROM that has DeX can be used somehow, not at my level of interest though.

Q. Can it work if the Samsung device has a custom ROM?

• A. Maybe, if the custom ROM is stock/One UI based and has DeX it will work.

Q. What are the requirements to run this?

• A. Please check "module requirements" for more information.

Q. Will this add DeX to my phone?

• A. No.

Changelog

2025.1

• Add release automation script
• Resolve shellcheck warnings

2024.2

• Build/debug scripts restructured
• Module status bug fix, kept adding onto olders statuses on reboot

2024.1

• Initial release

Warranty

No warranties whatsoever.

License

MIT License, check license.md.