It’s almost like browsers work better on bigger screens
Google has been anything but shy about its growing affinity for tablets, from Android 12L, to all the apps we’ve seen getting updates this summer in order to optimize them for larger screens. With plans to introduce the Pixel Tablet sometime next year, laying all this software groundwork makes perfect sense. In its latest effort to bring tablets the love they haven’t been getting, Google is sharing the changes coming to Chrome to improve its look and functionality on Android’s largest screens.
When you’re working with a big tablet display, you’re going to be tempted to try out some split-screen app action. A few months back, we looked at the new drag-and-drop split-screen support arriving for Google Keep and other Workspace apps. Now that same sort of functionality is coming to Chrome, letting you easily share links and content with other apps.
Google’s also optimizing how you navigate all your open tabs in side-by-side view, with easy swipe navigation between them, including auto-scroll back. And while they’re not ready quite yet, Google promises that tab groups will be making their way to tablets soon.
Speaking of tabs, look for a new visual tab grid that is supposed to make finding and switching to the tab you’re looking for easier, while also requiring fewer taps. Teasingly, Google suggests this should look really cool on foldable tablets — is there something you’d like to tell us about next year’s hardware?
Other tablet-friendly tweaks hitting Chrome include stuff like a permanent desktop-mode rendering option. Look for that and the rest of these big-screen enhancements arriving for Chrome tablet users over the next few days.
