Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Google’s new ‘tablet mode’ further blurs the line between Chrome OS and Android

By
Google Pixelbook in tablet mode
Google Pixelbook in tablet mode

With the launch of Chrome OS tablets, Google is going all-in with touch support by adding a tablet mode to its operating system. Although the platform was designed around a keyboard and mouse interface when it launched, Google has slowly embraced more touch features over the years. Most recently, Acer announced the Chromebook Tab 10 as the first Chrome OS-powered tablet in late March, and we now have a little more information on how Google plans to optimize Chrome OS for tablet use.

According to a report on XDA-Developers, code within Chrome OS reveals that device manufacturers can automatically enable a full-screen app launcher in tablet mode,  Currently, the Chrome OS app launcher shows just one row of recently used apps along with a search bar at the top, but the new tablet-optimized launcher would look more like the app drawer on Android smartphones.

Recommended Videos

With more Chrome OS-powered hardware launching with touch support — tablets, convertibles, and detachables are a few of the form factors that are available — the changes that Google makes to the app launcher will help users transition from the keyboard and mouse to a touchscreen-first experience.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

While this new behavior will benefit tablet-only devices, like Acer’s Chromebook Tab 10 and HP’s new Chrome OS tablet with a detachable keyboard, users of convertible Chrome OS devices with a 360-degree rotating screen like the Pixelbook will likely also benefit.

Related

Additionally, when the tablet launcher is engaged, pressing on the home button will minimize all apps rather than open the launcher.

In recent years, Google has brought more touch features to Chrome OS, and the touch-optimized app launcher is a natural progression. Most notably, Google allowed Android apps to run on Chrome OS devices, blurring the lines between Android and Chrome OS even further. Manufacturers like Samsung are also contributing to the evolution of Chrome OS by adding pen support to the Chromebook Pro.

According to TechRadar, Chrome OS is also borrowing some of Android’s designs with rounded, tappable buttons — and a user interface with information cards. Currently, there is no release date for the new version of Chrome OS, but an updated Chrome browser with better touch support is slated for a September 2 launch.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Chuong Nguyen
Chuong Nguyen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Samsung’s newest Android tablet should be here any day now
The back of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, lying face-down on a chair.

Galaxy Tab fans might not have much longer to wait before the latest entries to the lineup hit the market. Eagle-eyed sources spotted the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and the S10 Ultra on the 3C certification website. This is part of the regulation process and gives us a look into the specifications of these two tablets, and it doubles as a strong hint that they might hit the market soon.

The story broke at MySmartPrice and included a photo depicting the two tablets, which are referred to by their internal monikers: SM-X820 for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and XM-X926C for the S10 Ultra.

Read more
This potential Android 15 feature could turn your tablets into PCs
Android 15 logo on a Google Pixel 8.

Android has toyed with desktop modes for a while now, but only Samsung's DeX has actually come to fruition. Android Authority has been keeping an eye on a rumored revamp of Android desktop mode, though, and discovered that it now not only runs on external monitors, but also directly on tablets.

The years-old feature was originally aimed at developers for testing apps, but Google has since added some new windowing options and, if this discovery is anything to go by, may be planning to bring the desktop experience to a wider audience.

Read more
This new Google Chrome feature could make the internet more pleasant
The Google Chrome logo on a smartphone.

The internet isn't the most hospitable place in the world, that's for sure. A new feature may be coming to the Chrome web browser that could make the interaction between people and websites a bit more pleasant -- tipping.

As mentioned in a Chrome Platforms Status blog post, Google Chrome plans to add Web Monetization technology that the Web Platform Incubator Community Group is working on to make it easier for users to tip their favorite sites.

Read more