What you need to know
- The Google Drive widget is now available more widely on Android tablets.
- It has a new widget design that’s circular, with shortcuts to additional apps like Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
- For the time being, this widget design is only available on Android tablets.
With the release of Android 12L, Google finally began paying serious attention to tablets after years of neglect, and since then, the company has given the platform almost equal treatment as Android phones, the most recent effort being the launch of a slew of new Android features for productivity, communication, and accessibility.
Part of that update is a Google Drive widget for many of the best Android tablets, which is now rolling out widely. In addition to the widget designs seen on smartphones, the pack includes an additional style with more shortcuts. The new design was first reported by 9to5Google (opens in new tab).
The current set of design includes a flower petal-shaped style, a horizontal bar widget, and a rectangular one. The most recent addition has a circular design with dedicated Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets buttons. This means that you can now access those services with a single tap.
The new circular widget is currently only available on tablets running Google Drive version 2.22.357.1. You’re out of luck if you’re hoping to see the new design on your Android phone.
The existing features — such as the ability to quickly search and upload files, as well as the buttons for opening suggested files and the camera — are still available. However, in the new design, the button for creating a new document is missing.
The additional widget design is only a part of Google’s broader effort to improve user experience on tablets. A few days ago, the search giant released the September 2022 update for the Google Play system, with the ability to install Google Kids Space on a secondary user account on Android tablets.
