Google Drive on Android tablets now looks even more like the website

Abner Li | Nov 17 2023 - 4:13 pm PT

Google is rolling out its latest round of large-screen optimizations for Drive, and the clear trend is how the website UI is coming to Android tablets and foldables.

Google Drive now shows a “tappable folder hierarchy for their current view” at the top of the screen. In addition to serving as an indicator of where you’re browsing, you can tap to “easily navigate out of nested folders.”

Notably, that hierarchy also exists on the Google Drive website, and the similarities continue with “per-file data columns to show when a file was last modified and how much storage is used” in the tablet app. This appears to replace the two-column list view that previously helped show more content per screen.

Finally, Google makes mention of a “color palette that matches the Google Material Design 3 guidelines.” This applies to the grid view with each folder and file now placed in a card, while the file name appears at the top instead of below the preview.

Another visual tweak unifies the navigation rail on the left with the app bar so that the file view is partitioned into its own section with rounded corners (in the top-left). These changes are rolling out now.

Similarly, Google recently updated Docs, Sheets, and Slides for Android with a toolbar straight from the web UI. The latest tweak is meant to improve the editing experience:

In Docs, there is a new mode switcher that allows you to switch between editing, suggestion, and viewing modes.
In Slides, you will have access to an ever-present toolbar while in editing mode.
In Sheets, a cell will be selected by default upon opening the app.