Google seems to be focusing more on improving the Android tablet app experience after years of neglecting it. Earlier this year, the search giant introduced Android 12L, which brought an improved interface and multitasking experience to tablets and foldable. At the developer conference Google IO in May, it promised to fine-tune over 20 of its own apps for the tablet experience. The search giant has begun to fulfill that promise, beginning with Chrome the browser.
Google released an update to Chrome on Android tablets. It introduces new features like side-by-side navigation for better tab navigation, and the ability drag-and-drop functionality out of Chrome.
The side-by-side view allows users to navigate between tabs simply by moving your finger across the address bar (as illustrated in the GIF below). This is useful when tab names are not easily readable in settings like split-screen.
Image Credits: Google
Drag-and-drop allows users to drag and drop links, images, and text from Chrome to applications such as Gmail and Keep. You can see it in action below in the GIF. Similar drag-and-drop support was introduced by Google for apps like Drive, Docs and Sheets. Slide and Keep were also available on Android tablets.
Image Credits: Google
The new Chrome for Android tablets has a grid layout to allow users to switch tabs between them, rather than having to navigate through the horizontal lines of tabs. Users can now see larger previews of open tabs by swiping up from the bottom. Chrome’s smartphone app already offers this feature through the tab switcher.
Image Credits: Google
The company stated that its tab groups feature, first introduced in Chrome for desktop in 2020, is now “coming soon” for Chrome for tablets.
” Chrome on Android should feel as familiar as your phone or computer, no matter whether you use a stylus or a mouse. “We’re always looking for new ways to make Chrome more fun and easier to use on your Android tablet, whether that’s navigation with the visual tab grid or switching to desktop mode. Or finding the tab quickly,” Lola Adams, product manager at Chrome said in a statement.
Google continues to improve the Android tablet experience with app updates and software upgrades as it prepares for its Pixel tablet launch next year.