Skip to main content

With optimized apps, Android tablets will finally be more than big phones

Android tablets have long languished behind the most successful product in the segment – the iPad. One of the most prominent reasons why Android tablets don’t stand a chance against iPads is because of the bad app optimization and UI elements. The devices are mostly blown-up versions of Android phones. But not anymore. Google is rethinking the UI and adding new features that will make Android tablets more competitive with their Apple counterpart.

The Android tablet segment is reaching 270 million active users and it’s about time Google introduced new UI elements to its operating system. Android tablets will now allow you to see more at a glance with dual columns in the notification panel – a feature that was present in my Dell Venue 8 tablet back in 2014. But it will be more refined with refreshing elements.

20+ optimized Google tablet apps on the event screen.
Google

When you open an app, the new Android experience will tag a taskbar at the bottom — much like the Chrome OS — to help make working on the tablet easy with a keyboard. You’ll also be able to run a couple of apps simultaneously and, much like Windows 11, it will save the two windows in the background so you can switch back to the dual-screen setup as and when needed using the recent tabs button.

Recommended Videos

The company is also making things easier app-wise. You’ll soon be able to do more with Google apps on tablets since it will be updating more than 20 Google apps for tablets and devices with larger screen sizes with more to come. The Android maker is focusing on app optimizations for a better large-screen experience on its OS. For instance, YouTube Music, Google Maps, and Google Messages will have a multi-column view on tablets.

Prakhar Khanna
Prakhar Khanna is an independent consumer tech journalist. He contributes to Digital Trends' Mobile section with features and…
Google is putting Gemini on your wrist and more screens around you
Google Gemin on a smartwatch.

Google has just announced that the Gemini AI stack is coming to your Wear OS smartwatch, and a bunch of other screens in your life, such as your car’s infotainment dashboard and smart TV. With the move, the company is bringing down the curtain on Google Assistant across its device ecosystem. 

Gemini is already a part of the core Android experience, deeply integrated across the Workspace ecosystem of apps and even third-party platforms such as WhatsApp and Spotify. With Gemini making its way to Wear OS, Android Auto, and TV, users will have a more seamless experience and a wider variety of screens to get work done.

Read more
Google’s latest Android tools will protect you from a wider range of scams
Scam alert on Android phones.

Over the past few years, Google has released a host of safeguards for calls, messages, and web browsing that increasingly use AI to protect smartphone users from scams. Ahead of the I/O 2025 developers conference, Google has now detailed the next wave of safety features coming to Android devices this year. 

Bad actors often trick users into disabling the built-in safeguards, such as Google Play Protect, sideloading malware apps, and enabling permissions that allow data theft. Google says the next-gen safety features in Android will aim to negate these attacks. 

Read more
From Android 1.0 to Android 16: How Google’s mobile OS has evolved since 2008
Android 16 logo on Google Pixel 6a kept on the edge of a table.

Google I/O 2025 will be livestreaming next week, and software developers from Google are expected to unveil Android 16, which is slated to come out before the summer. The upcoming Android software update is expected to bring a host of new features as well as some returning mechanics from a decade ago.

To hold our excitement for the upcoming conference over, we're going to take a stroll down memory lane with a complete history of Android, from its humble beginnings as a T-Mobile-exclusive mobile tech to an AI-advanced software to grace contemporary smartphones like Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25. Android has come a long way since 2008, and it has a long way to go to be the best mobile software for everyone. That being said, here's a full timeline of Android's evolution.

Read more