More than 20 Google apps are getting tablet-centric updates
Android existed on tablets even before Google gave its blessing to the Motorola Xoom in 2011, but that first official tablet did not lead to a large-screen renaissance. Google sadly ignored tablets for years, and that’s only now starting to change. AtGoogle I/O, the company noted that there are 270 million active large-screen Android devices and correctly admitted that these devices are a whole lot less useful without optimized apps. And it’s finally doing something about it.
Using an Android tablet is getting better with devices like the Galaxy Tab S8 and Lenovo Tab P12 Pro, but no matter how good the OS is, the experience falls flat when you open an app that stretches a phone interface to 12 inches or more. Google says it will soon update more than 20 of its own apps with tablet-friendly interfaces. It didn’t provide a list of all the apps that will get updates, but there are screenshots ofMaps, Google TV,Photos, the Play Store, andYouTube Musicamong others.
This initiative is not limited to Google’s own apps—it’s also leaning on third-party devs to make Android apps better for tablets. We only got a few examples of these apps, but they’re all important ones: Facebook, Canva, Zoom, and TikTok. With a greater focus on apps, combined with improved split-screen multitasking, using Android on tablets is about to get much better. It really feels like Google is finally taking tablets seriously again. There’s even aPixel Tablet on the horizon!
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