Google plans to add a split-screen mode for multitasking to Android. There will also be displayport support for the USB-c port on the Pixel C tablet, the development team behind the tablet said during an ama interview on Reddit.
The Pixel C tablet was released earlier this week and was criticized by reviewers from The Next Web and The Verge, among others, for its lack of a split-screen mode. Such a mode has been in smartphones and tablets from Samsung with Android for years and LG has also built it in itself. In addition, competitors such as Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 have the ability to run two apps side by side.
Splitscreen was present in the preview version of Android Marshmallow, the operating system of the Pixel C. It is unknown why Google has removed it. It is obvious that other Android devices can also use the function.
Andrew Bowers, head of Google’s consumer hardware business, announced on Reddit that Google is working on this feature. He didn’t say exactly when Google will add the feature to the tablet, but Bowers talks about Android N. That is the likely successor to Android Marshmallow and, if Google follows the same pattern as previous years, will probably appear next fall.
Google also tackles the missing displayport support of the USB-C connection. The company has not yet announced a release date for this. In addition, the search company adds the option to also have the tablet respond to the voice command Ok Google with the screen off, something that is not the case now. Last year’s Nexus 9 tablet has had that feature from the start.
With the addition of the missing features to the Pixel C, development for the tablet doesn’t stop there. As Google has previously announced, the Pixel C will receive an update every six weeks.