Android Tablets get new circular Google Drive ‘Material You Widget’. Check out details here

Android Tablets are back in demand and Google is leaving no stone unturned to make the most of it. Last week, the tech giant announced that it was optimizing and updating widgets for tablets, and now Google has rolled out a new Google Drive design for Material You.

Google announced Material You at its annual I/O event last year. The new design system aims to integrate and adapt to the users' needs and preferences based on how they interact with their devices. In line with the Material You ethos, the new Google Drive circular design brings quick launch shortcuts for new Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc.

The default view for the Google Drive shortcut is a 3x2 rectangular configuration. However, stretching the widget on the screen makes it circular, giving the shortcut a fresh appeal. The new design is an addition to the existing X design in the system.




The new design and other nifty features will be rolled with the 2.22.357.1 Google Drive version for tablets. Unfortunately, the new design will not be coming to Android smartphones. Recently, Google also rolled out the updated Keep widget for tablets, though the dual-pane hasn’t been made available to all devices yet.

Per reports, Google is expected to bring much-needed updates to its professional suite of tools. These updates include multi-instance support for office tools, which will allow users to open two windows of Docs, Slides, and Sheets side by side and operate both with full functionality.

With the rise of remote working and OTT for entertainment, especially post-pandemic, the tablet market has seen a steep rise. While the premium segment is dominated by the likes of iPads and Surface Pros, the tablet market largely belongs to Android. Adding new features and making the UI/UX intuitive and user-friendly is critical for Google to catch up to its prime competitor, Apple.

FAQs

• What’s the new version of Google Drive?
The new updates will arrive with the 2.22.357.1 version of Google Drive.

• What’s Material You?
Launched last year, Material You is a new design system that Google has adopted to improve UI/UX across platforms by integrating and adapting to the needs and preferences of the users.