Google promises to finally start showing tablets some Play Store love

On the heels of Android 12L's big-screen enhancements

Nevermind the years Google spent ignoring tablets as a form factor — the company is all about them right now. With the official launch of Android 12L in the rearview mirror, some changes are on their way to the Play Store to make it a whole lot easier to find quality apps for tablets and other big-screen devices while alerting users to software that fails to fall in line.

Announced today on the Android Developers Blog, these three initiatives seem like a good first step towards improving the end-user experience. First, Google is changing how it ranks and features apps on the Play Store over the coming months, with "high-quality" apps that meet its standards for tablets getting top billing in search results and homepage recommendations. Instead of having to dig deep for a tablet-optimized Twitter client, it should start appearing right at the start of the list.

Second, Google wants to warn users when a specific app on the Play store doesn't meet its basic compatibility guidelines for large screens. This list isn't made up of examples where devs need to go above and beyond. Instead, it's the absolute basics for a good big-screen app, encompassing general UI elements like portrait and landscape modes, transitions, and a lack of letterboxing. When these warnings launch later this year, Google will inform you prior to installation that the app doesn't meet modern standards.

Finally, the company reiterated that it still plans to bring device-type filters to all Play Store users soon, with tablets, Chrome OS, Wear, and Auto categories all accessible by users. Developers can preview their ratings and reviews starting today by heading into the device-type breakdown in Play Console.

For many people, Google's attempts to finally get developers to work on tablet-focused apps might seem like too little too late. Apple owns the tablet industry these days, and even as companies like Samsung continue to put forth their best effort to compete, only so much can be done without the software to match it.

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