What you need to know
- Google Drive has a visual makeover on Android tablets.
- The cloud storage app has moved the navigation bar to the left side of the screen to take advantage of the available space.
- The latest UI changes are rolling out to users and will be visible to all users starting April 3rd.
Google is rolling out a new Drive update for Android tablets. It includes some features for tablets. Some of it matches the desktop version of the cloud storage app.
The first is the left navigation bar that used to be at the bottom of the screen. The navigation bar contains all the usual tabs for Home, Starred, Share, and Files, with floating action buttons placed at the top like the desktop version. There’s also a hamburger menu above the FAB that takes you to various locations such as Recent Files, Offline Documents, Backups, and the Trash folder.
Google Notes for blog posts (opens in new tab) This visual redesign aims to “take advantage of the larger screen” and make it easier to view file details. This means that your home screen now shows your 9 most recent files. Before this change, only two files could be displayed on the home screen at a time.
Additionally, the Suggestions and Notifications tabs no longer occupy most of the interface. More specifically, each tab now has 3 files on his 1 line, whereas the previous layout displayed 2 files on 1 line.
You’ll also see three small icons in the top right corner of Google Drive: Help, Settings, and Google Profile Picture.
Google is currently rolling out a new redesign on Rapid Release domains, while Scheduled Release domains should start seeing UI changes on April 3rd. First-party apps look great on big screens.
