Google’s first-party tablet apps must serve as a guide for third-party developers. The company’s application portfolio includes a wide range of experiences. Good examples of each would go a long way toward inspiring others to build their own. This is required for any “tablet-first apps” that make use of styli.
While the primary large screen optimization is the full display of all top tabs beneath the search field. Meanwhile, the listings are simply stretched out.
Apart from Chrome, the apps in the preceding list appear to lack any other optimization that demonstrates a strong commitment to the tablet experience.
The UI on the homescreen is minimal, with only a search bar on the left and the layer switcher on the top-right, though the bottom is a little clumsy for how much space it takes up.
Instead of a bottom bar that gets in the way, there’s a navigation rail on the left.
YouTube Music is on the good list – not the basic list – because of its Now Playing screen, which is divided into controls and your up next queue.
The player screen, like the Music version, has a list of additional videos on the right that is also used to show the video description.
The real star of the show, however, is the Day and Schedule view, where you can see the entire month – which also serves as a date switcher – on the left and a list next to it.
Google’s first-party tablet apps should serve as a guide, if not a template, for third-party developers. Similar to how quickly Google rolled out Material You for its most popular apps, such a push is required for tablet experiences.
Google must first walk before it can run, and its first-party apps are a good indicator of their commitment to tablet this time around. Google’s first-party tablet apps are disappointing.
