The administration of the Google Play Store mobile software store has finally begun to take tablets seriously. Android Police reports that the Google Play Store now only shows tablet-optimized programs when you enter the store from a tablet computer.

Programs that are not optimized for tablets will receive a special label “Designed for phones”. Google Play has always lagged behind, compared to the Apple App Store, in the field of optimizing software products for tablets. This reform should force developers to actively optimize applications for wide screens.

If you view the lists of the best apps on Android tablets, tablet programs will be shown by default, but you are left with the option to view programs in the Play Store. This can only be achieved during a search query. To take advantage of additional advertising opportunities, tablet programs must meet certain Play Store standards (screen resolution, display size support, API, screenshots of the tablet version in the description).

Until now, the lack of support for tablets in the Google Play Store was considered one of the main drawbacks of the store. According to an August Canalys study, about half of the most successful iPad programs are either unavailable or not optimized for Android tablets. Many Android programs that can run on tablets often remain only stretched versions of smartphone variants that are not optimized for the big screen in any way.

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