Android tablets finally pick up Google's promised productivity features

What you need to know

• Google's Android apps on tablets have finally added drag and drop improvements.
• Google Slides now lets you drag text and images into other apps on Android.
• You can also now drag and drop files and folders around in Google Drive as well as use full mouse functionality in Docs' Android app as you would on the web.

Google introduced a bunch of upgrades to its Android tablet apps back in July in a bid to make them work better on larger screens and boost your productivity. Those improvements have finally made their way into Google Slides and Drive.

In a blog post (opens in new tab), Google announced that it has rolled out a few updates to its Android apps for tablets, with Slides getting drag and drop improvements. As a result, you can now pull content such as text and images from Slides to another app when you have them open side-by-side.

To do so, you only need to open another app in split screen mode. Then, tap and hold the element you want to move and drag it to the destination app. Google Keep previously added this capability along with a few other apps, so this feature should work across various Google Workspace apps.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Drive already has this functionality as well, but the search giant is taking it a step further with a new improvement. This means you should now be able to drag and drop files and folders around in Drive. This comes in handy if you wish to transfer content from one folder to another within the app. You can do so either in the two-window or single app view.

Lastly, Google Docs has picked up full mouse support on Android tablets. This gives tablet owners access to the same full mouse functionality they have on the web. This means you can now click and drag across the text in order to select that portion instead of panning the entire document.

The updates come as Google rekindles its interest in Android tablets after putting them on the back burner for several years. One obvious reason why the Mountain View tech titan has been investing resources in Android apps on tablets is its plan to launch the Pixel Tablet next year, marking its big return to the tablet market after the Pixel Slate flopped a few years ago.

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