Android 12L Will Leave Developers Fewer Excuses To Snub Tablets
Tablets have been around even before smartphones came into being, first as bulky Windows-powered tablet PCs before Android and iOS took over. While Android tablets have also been in the market for years, the user experience still left a lot to be desired. Google's mobile platform did at least make it possible for phone apps to be usable, at least compared to iOS before there was an iPadOS, the experience was still sub-optimal, and few developers went out of their way to improve it. With its upcoming Android 12L feature drop, however, Google is putting a heavy emphasis on large screens, and it's giving developers everything they need to make apps work better on those devices.
Large screens here don't just refer to tablets, of course. Android 12L also covers phones that transform into larger screens, a.k.a. foldables, as well as situations where Android apps run on a separate external display. That's the case with connecting an external monitor or, closer to Google's heart, running Android apps on Chromebooks.
In its latest blog post for developers, Google reminds developers of the new tools and features they will have available with Android 12L. Although it won't be like magic, updates to Android's design guidelines and tooling will at least help them be aware of concerns related to the aforementioned scenario.
On the user end of things, Google will also be highlighting apps that have been optimized for large screens. Google Play search results and ratings, for example, will surface such apps when using a tablet, a foldable, or a Chromebook. One of the main focuses of such apps is to emphasize multitasking, something that's easier to do when you have more space for more than one app.
To further lower the barrier to entry, Google is apparently putting a discount on the new Lenovo Tab P12 Pro that was announced back in September. The tablet hasn't launched in the US yet, but the promo reported by 9to5Google will at least be available until February 2022.