Summary
- Google is working to improve the Gemini app for tablets, with a layout similar to the web version.
- The tablet layout will feature a sidebar for chat history and quick access to new chats.
- There’s no clear timeline for the public release of the tablet and foldable-optimized layout.
Google has been constantly improving its Gemini app for Android to deliver a better experience. Recently, it revamped the prompt bar’s look and feel, better surfacing relevant options like Deep Research and Canvas. Yet, like most Android apps, Google has not optimized the Gemini app for tablets and foldables. Instead, launching it on a device with a large screen still brings up the same unoptimized mobile layout with lots of wasted white space. Thankfully, that may soon change as Google prepares a more refined big-screen experience for the Gemini app.
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The Android Authority team activated a Gemini UI specifically for tablets and foldables in the latest beta of the Google app (v16.20.48.sa.arm64). The layout is similar to that of Gemini on the web, with a sidebar on the left providing quick access to your past conversations with Gemini.
It also includes shortcuts to start a new chat or search through your conversations. You can hide the sidebar at any time by tapping the hamburger menu icon.
Like Gemini on the web, a new tablet layout will feature a dropdown at the top to switch between different Gemini models. The revamped prompt bar, featuring chips for Video, Search, Research, and Canvas, is also here.
Don’t count on Gemini’s tablet layout arriving anytime soon
With foldables gaining popularity, Gemini’s upcoming layout change for large-screen devices is set to deliver a much better user experience. Google constantly tests new features and UI changes for its app. So, there’s no clear timeline when the company will roll out Gemini’s tablet and foldable-optimized layout to the public.
Google may want to hold on to this layout until the launch of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold in a couple of months. Alternatively, it could team up with Samsung to unveil this tablet-optimized layout of the Gemini app alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s launch in early July.
Google is working on more than just a tablet-friendly layout for the Gemini app. It’s developing a Circle to Search-like feature for the Gemini app, allowing you to select and ask questions about a specific portion of your phone’s screen. It is also testing a streamlined way to share excerpts from Gemini responses more easily.
