Android tablets

Google has been optimizing its first-party apps with large-screen optimizations since I/O 2022, and that’s expected to culminate with the Pixel Tablet. The latest update is a three-column UI for Google Discover on tablets.

Following the dual-pane redesign, Google Keep on Android tablets and foldables will soon let you open side-by-side notes.

Google’s large screen optimization push continues with the Search app adopting a navigation rail on tablets, though it’s clearly early days.

As we’ve been expecting, the latest Google app to get a tablet redesign is Contacts for Android.

Google’s push to optimize its first-party apps on tablets continues with Drive for Android adding the ability to annotate PDFs using a stylus or finger. 

While it’s up to the market to prove (or disprove) Google’s belief that Android Tablets are the “future of computing,” the other big obstacle comes from within the company. Chromebooks can very much compete for that mantle, with Android and ChromeOS once again converging in functionality and use case. 

Back in September, Google announced that Keep was getting a dual-pane view and it’s now more widely rolled out on Android tablets. 

In addition to crowning the best overall Android application and game of 2022, Google Play today named the best Wear OS, tablet, and Chromebook apps.

Android 13 is more widely rolling out on Samsung tablets and follows Android 12L earlier this year. The taskbar was that update’s biggest addition, and we hoped to see more tablet UIs — namely a two-column notification shade and lockscreen — but that’s not the case with Samsung’s Android 13 update.

Besides announcing Mac and Windows VPN support today, Google One for Android is getting the tablet redesign that was previewed back in May.

Earlier this month, Google revealed more about the Pixel Tablet, and several specs have emerged since the I/O 2022 tease. We might now have our first actual look at software running on the Pixel Tablet.

At the start of last month, Google announced that Keep was getting a dual-pane view on large-screen devices. We’ve now encountered it on a Chromebook, but an annoying limitation restricts availability on Android foldables and tablets.

At the Android Developer Summit 2022, Google shared a “Large Screen Gallery” that provides layout guidance for tablet and foldables apps by category: Social media & communication, Media, Productivity, Shopping, and Reading.

Google’s push to optimize first-party apps for large screen Android devices and the Pixel Tablet continues with a handful of updates for Chrome that rolled out in recent months.

In talking with Google and learning more about the Pixel Tablet, my biggest takeaway is that pulling double duty as an Assistant Smart Display will be its path to success. It all comes down to execution, which of course is harder said than done given that Google basically tried with Assistant Ambient Mode two years ago. Meanwhile, Apple is rumored to be right behind the Pixel Tablet and following the same strategy for the iPad.

Google previewed a Play Store tablet, foldable, and large screen redesign at I/O in May, and the most important aspect of it is coming in 2023.

Since I/O 2022, Google has been releasing large-screen-optimized UIs for its first-party apps. The latest Gboard beta is now rolling out an Android tablet layout that is long overdue and pretty good out of the gate.

Besides sharing that the Pixel Tablet is powered by Tensor G2 and has a Charging Speaker Dock, Google showed more of the Android UI and several Smart Display-inspired screens.

The Play Store is one of the 20 first-party apps getting optimized for tablets and Google is kicking off the redesign with a navigation rail.

Last week, Google announced that it was optimizing widgets for Android tablets. The updated Google Drive widget is now rolled out with an interesting circle design that’s new for Material You.

The drip of new Google Keep features continues today with a “dual pane” view on Android tablets and foldables.