Most apps in the Google Play store are designed for smartphones, and as any Android tablet owner knows, the apps that are available for Android tablets are often less-than-stellar. With the release of the Nexus 7 tablet and rumors of an upcoming Nexus 10, it’s no surprise that Google is pushing for higher quality apps for tablets. One such way the company is trying to improve tablet apps is with a newly published checklist aimed at helping developers.
The Tablet App Quality Checklist is a series of ten items aimed at helping developers create better tablet-optimized Android apps. The checklist is arranged in no particular order, and, as mentioned, is intended to improve the overall quality of apps being published in the Google Play store. The checklist isn’t applicable to all apps across the board, but is rather a series of detailed guidelines intended to be used as a foundation for optimizing any app-in-development.
The Tablet App Quality Checklist includes sections on optimizing layouts, using assets, and testing app quality. Each section of the checklist provides detailed information, most of which is accompanied by screenshots. In addition, the checklist provides info on setting up a test environment in which developers can ensure their apps run optimally.
In addition to the Tablet App Quality Checklist, Android Developers will be posting tips on better app development all week via its Google+ page. Whether these efforts on Google’s part will actually improve the quality of apps for Android tablets is yet to be seen. One has to wonder why, with the popularity of Android and the proliferation of Android-based tablets on the market, better tablet-optimized apps don’t already exist.
[via Android Developers]
