Google Drive gets new ‘Suggested files’ Material You widget on Android 12

Abner Li | Nov 3 2021 - 1:42 pm PT

As teased in recent weeks, Google Drive now offers a new Material You widget on Android 12 that lets you “quickly access suggested files and search.”

This “Suggested files” widget consists of a query field that immediately opens the app and keyboard to the “Search in Drive” UI. Next to that is an upload button that opens the system file picker, while below that is a list of five or so documents you recently edited and “often open around this time.” Tapping opens the appropriate app (Docs, Sheets, Slides) directly.

The widget can span the entire screen, wherein the bottom list doesn’t need to scroll, or shrink down to 3×2, with the search text hint adjusting itself accordingly. When tweaking the size, you can also tap the bottom-right pencil FAB to change Google Accounts. Dynamic Color is used to theme the background of every component.

This new Google Drive widget rolled out via a server-side update and is appearing on version 2.21.417.3.90, which is widely available already. It joins the bulbous, x-shaped “Drive quick actions” homescreen object that launched with the app’s initial Material You update.

Update: As noted by several people in the comments below, Google Drive continues its streak of making new widgets available on older versions of the OS. We’re seeing it live on Android 11.