Android 12L may make good Android tablets

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Android 12L is designed for big screens, bigger screens, and even bigger screens. Image: google

An Android tablet will be fine soon, or at least Google seems to be hoping for it with Android 12L. Designed for tablet-sized screens and anything over 600dp, this new version of Android is available to developers today.

For everyone else, Android 12L should arrive early next year — just in time for “the next wave of Android 12 foldable and tablets,” as Google wrote in a blog post. The full release should arrive sometime in the second quarter of 2022.

Android 12L looks and sounds like Android 12 on a smartphone, but has been optimized to fit larger screens under the hood. The notification shade, lock screen, and other parts of the system use a two-column layout so that no part of the screen remains unused.

The split screen mode should make it easier to navigate between two apps in Android 12. Image: Google

Android 12L includes a new taskbar at the bottom of the interface, similar to the one available in Chrome OS. You can pin frequently used apps and access them while moving between windows. You can also drag and pin an app to both sides of the screen, like on a desktop operating system, which makes working between two apps a lot easier. Google has reduced the number of steps it takes to split the screen, which was a huge pain point for Android tablet users before. By default, all apps can enter split screen mode regardless of whether the app is resizable.

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Android 12L will also work with foldable screens. Smartphones like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 can take advantage of this mode when unlocked. The Letterboxing format and materials you use will also be used to make the applications look good. Older versions of Android will be compatible with apps optimized for 12L.

Android 12L’s multitasking mode appears to work similarly to Chrome OS. Gif: Google

You will have an easier time finding tablet apps in the Play Store as well. Google is updating the Play Store so that search results will prioritize apps that follow the Big Screen Apps Quality Guide. The store will give you a warning message to let you know if you are about to download an app that was not developed for use on a large screen.

Sales of large-screen devices, including Chrome OS laptops and Google hybrids, have increased in the past few years. But not everyone wants to use Chrome OS. As Apple, Microsoft and even Samsung, which has its own style of Android, have improved their interfaces for the tablet, Google’s Android has fallen behind.

As we saw with the Pixel Slate, Chrome OS clearly wasn’t the answer to Android tablet problems. It will be interesting to see if a little overhaul of the current operating system will be enough to help one choose between the cheapest iPad and an Android tablet. At the very least, it will make Android more usable on screens larger than 7 inches.

For those curious to tinker with Android 12L before it was widely available, a developer preview is coming soon to the Lenovo P12 Pro. In the developer summit keynote, Google also announced that some features will soon be making their way to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

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