Since the arrival of Android 12L, the taskbar has been a game-changer on Android tablets and foldable smartphones. Now, Google is looking to replicate this experience on smartphones with what it internally calls the "tiny taskbar." In addition to visual tweaks, the phone version gains a handy new multitasking feature.
A taskbar designed for small screens on Android
Google has been trying for nearly a year to adapt the taskbar on tablets to Android phones. This element, which appears at the bottom of the screen, allows quick access to applications to improve multitasking. On tablets, it can appear permanently or hide depending on the user's preferences.
This is what the taskbar currently looks like on Android. Source: Android Authority
The smartphone version, although still in progress, already stands out with its more compact format and a specific interface, including a carousel dedicated to the six most recently used applications. This is reminiscent of the Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut, but with some notable differences. For example, it includes navigation arrows, but does not (for now) allow you to switch between applications with a simple tap.
A new multitasking interface... but still imperfect
The main new feature of this bar is therefore this carousel of recent applications, exclusive to smartphones. It does not exist on tablets, probably because the latter already displays the two most recent apps on its own bar. But the integration remains incomplete. The carousel is not yet perfectly functional: while it displays the applications well, it does not allow direct access to them. The bar also suffers from a display bug when the smartphone uses a 5×5 home grid. In this configuration, it is truncated, due to a lack of space for the icons.
Despite these obstacles, Google's efforts to enrich multitasking on Android are real, even if the latter will probably not be ready for the launch of Android 16. At the same time, Google is also working on a native desktop mode for Android, similar to what Samsung devices already offer with DeX mode.
Source: Android Authority
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