Android 13 Update Brings Tablet Versions Of 20 Google Apps With Multi-Column UI

Last Updated on May 14, 2022 by Anu Joy

While smartphones have been getting a multitude of apps, tablets have not received the same treatment. Third-party apps aren’t the only guilty parties when it comes to poorly optimized tablet applications, Google is at fault too. The search giant is now set to change that.

Alongside the announcement of Android 13 Beta 2 at I/O 2022, Google revealed that more than 20 apps will get a revamp to better suit tablets. App such as Gmail, Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google Messages, YouTube, Play Store, and more will be optimized to take advantage of the larger screen real estate that tablets offer. They will also sport a multi-column layout. Moreover, the Play Store will highlight tablet-friendly apps so you’ll know if it will play well with your device.

Last year, Google had announced the Android 12L for tablets, which was followed by a stable release in March this year. It brought with it better UI design and improved layout. A couple of months back, Google had hinted that it is working on apps that are more suitable for tablets. The search giant had even hinted that “tablet-first” apps could also be on the horizon if the market continued to grow. Now, Android 13 offers apps optimized for tablets.

The firm added that it has joined hands with third-party developers to offer a better user experience. Besides cosmetic changes, tablets will also gain multitasking features. This will include a taskbar which will be located at the bottom of the tablet. It will let you create a split-screen interface by dragging and dropping apps as per your requirement.

Google will be rolling out the update for its apps in the coming weeks. On the other hand, third-party apps will get the update within this year.