Google brings Docs, Sheets, and Slides web UI to mobile with refreshed look on Android tablets

Google just announced a “modernized visual design” for Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android devices. The company says you can expect a refreshed look for the editing toolbar, icons, background colors, and more, all seemingly tailored to mimic its web app counterparts.

However, while it wasn’t stated directly that this would be specifically for tablets, the screenshot shown off is a larger screen device running the aforementioned Android Docs app. Because of this, the indications are clear – Google is continuing its work on tablet apps in wake of the Pixel Tablet’s release.

Above, you’ll see the pill-shaped Material 3 toolbar for font and formatting options. The ability to undo and redo edits, as well as adding comments and more are all neatly packed into the top-right corner of the apps. The comments panel also pops out of the right side like it does on the web so you can view those simultaneously with the body of text in the document.

These updates are set to roll out over the next few weeks. I’m vehemently against the current design of Docs and especially Sheets on mobile, and it makes it a big pain for making edits on the go. I’m excited to tinker with this, especially on smaller devices, and I hope some changes have been made to allow more intuitive navigation, specifically for comments and text formatting. Currently, you have to slide these up from the bottom and it’s pretty confusing as to how you access certain things.