I'm starting to see more of Google's apps optimized for Chrome OS and Android tablets

Google hasn't wasted any time getting some of its apps ready for Android 12L. For those unaware, Android 12L is the next point release for Android 12 with a focus on large screens such as Chromebooks and Android tablets. Over the past week or so I have noticed a few of Google's own apps have seen some updates that take advantage of the larger screen size. This is definitely a welcome change and one I hope to see further developed. Let's check out a couple examples...

First up, we have the Google Podcasts app which is my current podcast app of choice. Over the weekend I received an update for the Google app and I noticed when I opened up the podcast app that things looked a bit different. Previously there was just a single row of podcasts on the Home and Explore sections making it quite the task to scroll through podcasts. Now, two podcasts are available per row making it twice as fast two navigate and it is also nice to see the app take up a proper amount of space on the screen. Before there was a lot more unnecessary white space and the app seemed to be more stretched across the display. This is for sure a better look and I hope to see further refinements as the app gets updated.

Last but not least, we have the YT Music app. I took this screenshot on my Chromebook but a similar improvement can be seen on Android tablets. The most noticeable change I see is in the Quick Picks section. Before only the first row of recommended songs were in view. Although you can scroll horizontally to see the other options. However, with the app having improved scaling implemented the user can now see almost four rows of song recommendations which is a huge enhancement. Similar improvements can be found in now playing under the Related tab.

While these changes are minor I believe they are pointing to something that can potentially be big with Android 12L and Android 13. Google sees tablets as a thing again and they certainly have put a focus on larger screens. A shift in the market won't happen quickly but it is really exciting to see where Google is heading.

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Believe it or not but YouTube Music did not always have podcasts. As a matter of fact YT Music was not the home for music for Google. That was once Google Play Music but in December of 2020 YT Music took over the music duties for the company. In 2023 YT Music absorbed podcasts from Google Podcasts which brings us to where we are now. For the sake of time I am only going to mention the podcast function within the app/service. What does YouTube Music offer? YT Music is a real basic podcast player that has got the essentials right. The service offers podcasts that are available on the service and the option to add podcasts via an RSS feed. Podcasts can also be downloaded, playback speed can be adjusted, audio/video switching (YT Music podcasts only), sleep timer, trim silence (new), and background play without the need for a YT Music subscription. There is also library support to manage your collection of podcasts, a dedicated podcast section and search and recommendation for podcast...

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