1page.title=Tablet App Quality 2page.metaDescription=Tablets are a fast-growing part of the Android installed base that offers new opportunities for your apps. 3page.image=/distribute/images/tablet-guidelines-color.jpg 4Xnonavpage=true 5 6@jd:body 7<div id="qv-wrapper"><div id="qv"> 8<h2>Checklist</h2> 9<ol> 10<li><a href="#core-app-quality">1. Test for Basic Tablet App Quality</a></li> 11<li><a href="#optimize-layouts">2. Optimize Layouts</a></li> 12<li><a href="#use-extra-space">3. Use Extra Screen Area</a></li> 13<li><a href="#use-tablet-icons">4. Use Assets Designed for Tablets</a></li> 14<li><a href="#adjust-font-sizes">5. Adjust Fonts and Touch Targets</a></li> 15<li><a href="#adjust-widgets">6. Adjust Homescreen Widgets</a></li> 16<li><a href="#offer-full-feature-set">7. Offer Full Feature Set</a></li> 17<li><a href="#android-versions">8. Target Android Versions Properly</a></li> 18<li><a href="#hardware-requirements">9. Declare Dependencies Properly</a></li> 19<li><a href="#support-screens">10. Declare Support for Tablet Screens</a></li> 20<li><a href="#google-play">11. Showcase Your Tablet UI</a></li> 21<li><a href="#google-play-best-practices">12. Follow Best Practices for Publishing in Google Play</a></li> 22 23</ol> 24<h2>Testing</h2> 25<ol> 26<li><a href="#test-environment">Setting Up a Test Environment</a></li> 27</ol> 28</div></div> 29 30<div class="todp-right-float" style="padding-right:0;margin-bottom:1em;"> 31 <img src="{@docRoot}distribute/images/tablet-guidelines-color.jpg" style="width:480px;"> 32</div> 33 34<p> 35 Tablets are a growing part of the Android installed base and offer new 36 opportunities for <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/stories/tablets.html">user 37 engagement and monetization</a>. The guidelines in this document will help 38 you meet the expectations of tablet users through compelling features and an 39 intuitive, well-designed UI. 40</p> 41 42<p> 43 Although the guidelines are numbered, you can approach them in any order. You 44 should address each guideline’s recommendations to the extent that they’re 45 appropriate for your app, but — in the interest of delivering the best 46 product to your customers — follow them to the greatest extent 47 possible. 48</p> 49 50<p> 51 Through the document you'll find links to resources that can 52 help you address each recommendation included. 53</p> 54 55<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="core-app-quality">1. Test for Basic Tablet App Quality</h2></div> 56 57<p>The first step in delivering a great tablet app experience is making sure 58that it meets the <em>core app quality criteria</em> for all of the devices 59and form factors that the app is targeting. For complete information, see the <a 60href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/core.html">Core App Quality Guidelines</a>. 61</p> 62 63<p> 64Before publishing, also ensure that your app passes the basic technical checks and launch criteria, such as: 65</p> 66 67<ul> 68 <li><a href="#android-versions">Targets appropriate Android versions</a></li> 69 <li><a href="#hardware-requirements">Specifies any hardware dependencies properly</a></li> 70 <li><a href="#support-screens">Declares support for appropriate screens</a></li> 71 <li><a href="#use-extra-space">Uses all of the available screen space</a></li> 72 <li><a href="#google-play">Screenshots are uploaded to Google Play</a></li> 73</ul> 74 75<p>If your app is already uploaded to the Google Play Developer Console, you 76 can see how it is doing against these checks 77 by visiting the <a href="#google-play-optimization-tips">Optimization 78 Tips page</a>.</p> 79 80 81<div class="headerLine"> 82<h2 id="optimize-layouts">2. Optimize Layouts for Larger Screens</h2></div> 83 84<p> 85 Android makes it easy to develop an app that runs well on a wide range of 86 device screen sizes and form factors. This broad compatibility works in your 87 favor, since it helps you design a single app that you can distribute widely 88 to all of your targeted devices. However, to give your users the best 89 possible experience on each screen configuration — in particular on 90 tablets — you need to optimize your layouts and other UI components for 91 each targeted screen configuration. On tablets, optimizing your UI lets you 92 take full advantage of the additional screen available, such as to offer new 93 features, present new content, or enhance the experience in other ways to 94 deepen user engagement. 95</p> 96 97<p> 98 If you developed your app for handsets and now want to distribute it to 99 tablets, you can start by making minor adjustments to your layouts, fonts, 100 and spacing. In some cases — such as for 7-inch tablets or for a game 101 with large canvas — these adjustments may be all you need to make your 102 app look great. In other cases, such as for larger tablets, you can redesign 103 parts of your UI to replace "stretched UI" with an efficient multipane UI, 104 easier navigation, and additional content. 105</p> 106 107 108<div style="width:500px;margin:1.5em;margin-top:-16px;"> 109<img src="{@docRoot}images/training/app-navigation-multiple-sizes-multipane-bad.png" 110style="padding:4px;margin-bottom:0em;"> 111<p class="img-caption"><span 112style="font-weight:500;">Get rid of "stretched" UI</span>: On tablets, single-pane 113layouts lead to awkward whitespace and excessive line lengths. Use padding to 114reduce the width of UI elements and consider using multi-pane layouts.</p> 115</div> 116 117<p>Here are some suggestions:</p> 118 119 120<ul> 121 <li>Provide custom layouts as needed for <code>large</code> and 122 <code>xlarge</code> screens. You can also provide layouts that are loaded 123 based on the screen's <a href= 124 "{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html#NewQualifiers">shortest 125 dimension</a> or the <a href= 126 "{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html#NewQualifiers">minimum 127 available width and height</a>. 128 </li> 129 130 <li>At a minimum, customize dimensions such as font sizes, margins, spacing 131 for larger screens, to improve use of space and content legibility. 132 </li> 133 134 <li>Adjust positioning of UI controls so that they are easily accessible to 135 users when holding a tablet, such as toward the sides when in landscape 136 orientation. 137 </li> 138 139 <li>Padding of UI elements should normally be larger on tablets than on 140 handsets. A <a href="{@docRoot}design/style/metrics-grids.html#48dp-rhythm"> 141 48dp rhythm</a> (and a 16dp grid) is recommended. 142 </li> 143 144 <li>Adequately pad text content so that it is not aligned directly along 145 screen edges. Use a minimum <code>16dp</code> padding around content near 146 screen edges. 147 </li> 148</ul> 149 150<p>In particular, make sure that your layouts do not appear "stretched" 151across the screen:</p> 152 153<ul> 154<li>Lines of text should not be excessively long — optimize for a maximum 155100 characters per line, with best results between 50 and 75.</li> 156<li>ListViews and menus should not use the full screen width.</li> 157<li>Use padding to manage the widths of onscreen elements or switch to a 158multi-pane UI for tablets (see next section).</li> 159</ul> 160 161<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 162 163<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 164 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/optimize" 165 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 166 data-cardSizes="6x3" 167 data-maxResults="6"></div> 168 169 170<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="use-extra-space">3. Take Advantage of Extra Screen Area</h2></div> 171 172<div style="width:340px;float:right;margin:1.5em;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;"> 173<img src="{@docRoot}images/training/app-navigation-multiple-sizes-multipane-good.png" 174style="padding:4px;margin-bottom:0em;"> 175<p class="img-caption"><span 176style="font-weight:500;">Multi-pane layouts</span> result in a better visual 177balance on tablet screens, while offering more utility and legibility.</p> 178</div> 179 180<p>Tablet screens provide significantly more screen real estate to your app, 181especially when in landscape orientation. In particular, 10-inch tablets offer a 182greatly expanded area, but even 7-inch tablets give you more space for 183displaying content and engaging users. </p> 184 185<p>As you consider the UI of your app when running on tablets, make sure that it 186is taking full advantage of extra screen area available on tablets. Here are 187some suggestions:</p> 188 189<ul> 190<li>Look for opportunities to include additional content or use an alternative 191treatment of existing content.</li> 192<li>Use <a href="{@docRoot}design/patterns/multi-pane-layouts.html">multi-pane 193layouts</a> on tablet screens to combine single views into a compound view. This 194lets you use the additional screen area more efficiently and makes it easier for 195users to navigate your app. </li> 196<li>Plan how you want the panels of your compound views to reorganize when 197screen orientation changes.</li> 198 199<div style="width:490px;margin:1.5em auto 1.5em 0;"> 200<div style=""> 201<img src="{@docRoot}images/ui-ex-single-panes.png" 202style="width:490px;padding:4px;margin-bottom:0em;" align="middle"> 203<img src="{@docRoot}images/ui-ex-multi-pane.png" style="width:490px;padding:4px;margin-bottom:0em;"> 204<p class="image-caption" style="padding:.5em"><span 205style="font-weight:500;">Compound views</span> combine several single views from a 206handset UI <em>(above)</em> into a richer, more efficient UI for tablets 207<em>(below)</em>. </p> 208</div> 209</div> 210 211<li>While a single screen is implemented as an {@link android.app.Activity} 212subclass, consider implementing individual content panels as {@link 213android.app.Fragment} subclasses. This lets you 214maximize code reuse across different form factors and across screens that 215share content.</li> 216<li>Decide on which screen sizes you'll use a multi-pane UI, then provide the 217different layouts in the appropriate screen size buckets (such as 218<code>large</code>/<code>xlarge</code>) or minimum screen widths (such as 219<code>sw600dp</code>/<code>sw720</code>).</li> 220</ul> 221 222<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 223 224<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 225 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/extrascreen" 226 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 227 data-cardSizes="6x3,6x3,6x3" 228 data-maxResults="6"></div> 229 230<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="use-tablet-icons">4. Use Assets Designed for Tablet Screens</h2></div> 231 232<div><img src="{@docRoot}design/media/devices_displays_density@2x.png"></div> 233 234<p>To ensure your app looks its best, provide icons and other bitmap 235assets for each density in the range commonly supported by tablets. Specifically, you should 236design your icons for the action bar, notifications, and launcher according to the 237<a href="{@docRoot}design/style/iconography.html">Iconography</a> guidelines and 238provide them in multiple densities, so they appear at the appropriate size on all screens 239without blurring or other scaling artifacts.</p> 240 241<p class="table-caption"><strong>Table 1</strong>. Raw asset sizes for icon types.<table> 242<tr> 243<th>Density</th> 244<th>Launcher</th> 245<th>Action Bar</th> 246<th>Small/Contextual</th> 247<th>Notification</th> 248</tr> 249<tr> 250<td><code>mdpi</code></td> 251<td>48x48 px</td> 252<td>32x32 px</td> 253<td>16x16 px</td> 254<td>24x24 px</td> 255</tr> 256<tr> 257<td><code>hdpi</code></td> 258<td>72x72 px</td> 259<td>48x48 px</td> 260<td>24x24 px</td> 261<td>36x36 px</td> 262</tr> 263<tr> 264<td><code>tvdpi</code></td> 265<td><em>(use hdpi)</em></td> 266<td><em>(use hdpi)</em></td> 267<td><em>(use hdpi)</em></td> 268<td><em>(use hdpi)</em></td> 269</tr> 270<tr> 271<td><code>xhdpi</code></td> 272<td>96x96 px</td> 273<td>64x64 px</td> 274<td>32x32 px</td> 275<td>48x48 px</td> 276</tr> 277<tr> 278<td><code>xxhdpi</code></td> 279<td>144x144 px</td> 280<td>96x96 px</td> 281<td>48x48 px</td> 282<td>72x72 px</td> 283</tr> 284 285</table> 286 287<p> 288 As a minimum, supply a version of each icon and bitmap asset that's optimized 289 for <strong>at least one</strong> the following common tablet screen 290 densities: 291</p> 292<ul> 293 <li><code>hdpi</code></li> 294 <li><code>xhdpi</code></li> 295 <li><code>xxhdpi</code></li> 296</ul> 297 298<p>Other tips:</p> 299 300<ul> 301<li>Use vector shapes when designing icons, so they scale without loss of either detail or edge crispness.</li> 302<li>Use density-specific <a 303href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/resources/providing-resources.html#AlternativeResources"> 304resource qualifiers</a> to ensure that the proper icons are loaded for each screen density.</li> 305<li>Tablets and other large screen devices often request a launcher icon that is one density 306size larger than the device's actual density, so you should provide your launcher 307icon at the highest density possible. For example, if a tablet has an {@code xhdpi} screen, 308it will request the {@code xxhdpi} version of the launcher icon.</li> 309</ul> 310 311<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 312 313<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 314 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/assets" 315 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 316 data-cardSizes="9x3" 317 data-maxResults="6"></div> 318 319<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="adjust-font-sizes">5. 320Adjust Font Sizes and Touch Targets</h2></div> 321 322<p>To make sure your app is easy to use on tablets, take some time to adjust the 323font sizes and touch targets in your tablet UI, for all of the screen 324configurations you are targeting. You can adjust font sizes through <a 325href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/themes.html">styleable attributes</a> or <a 326href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/resources/more-resources.html#Dimension">dimension 327resources</a>, and you can adjust touch targets through layouts and bitmap 328drawables, as discussed above. </p> 329 330<p>Here are some considerations:</p> 331<ul> 332<li>Text should not be excessively large or small on tablet screen sizes and 333densities. Make sure that labels are sized appropriately for the UI elements they 334correspond to, and ensure that there are no improper line breaks in labels, 335titles, and other elements.</li> 336<li>The recommended touch-target size for onscreen elements is 48dp (32dp 337minimum) — some adjustments may be needed in your tablet UI. Read <a 338href="{@docRoot}design/style/metrics-grids.html">Metrics and 339Grids 340</a> to learn about implementation strategies to help most of your users. To 341meet the accessibility needs of certain users, it may be appropriate to use 342larger touch targets. </li> 343<li>When possible, for smaller icons, expand the touchable area to more than 34448dp using {@link android.view.TouchDelegate} 345or just centering the icon within the transparent button.</li> 346</ul> 347 348<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 349 350<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 351 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/fonts" 352 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 353 data-cardSizes="9x3,9x3,6x3,6x3,6x3" 354 data-maxResults="6"></div> 355 356<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="adjust-widgets">6. Adjust Sizes of Home Screen Widgets</h2></div> 357 358<p>If your app includes a home screen widget, here are a few points to consider 359to ensure a great user experience on tablet screens: </p> 360 361<ul> 362<li>Set the widget's default height and width appropriately 363for tablet screens, as well as the minimum and maximum resize height and width. 364</li> 365<li>The widget should be resizable to 420dp or more, to span 5 or more home 366screen rows (if this is a vertical or square widget) or columns (if this is a 367horizontal or square widget). </li> 368<li>Make sure that 9-patch images render correctly.</li> 369<li>Use default system margins.</li> 370<li>Set the app's <code>targetSdkVersion</code> to 14 or higher, if 371possible.</li> 372</ul> 373 374<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 375 376<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 377 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/widgets" 378 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 379 data-cardSizes="6x3" 380 data-maxResults="6"></div> 381 382 383<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="offer-full-feature-set">7. Full Feature Set for Tablet Users</h2></div> 384 385<div class="centered-full-image" style="width:600px;margin:1.5em"><img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-tablets-full-feature-set.png" alt="Tablet feature sets"></div> 386 387<p>Let your tablet users experience the best features of your app. Here are 388some recommendations:</p> 389 390<ul> 391 <li>Design your app to offer at least the same set of features on tablets as 392 it does on phones. 393 </li> 394 395 <li>In exceptional cases, your app might omit or replace certain features on 396 tablets if they are not supported by the hardware or use-case of most 397 tablets. For example: 398 <ul> 399 <li>If the handset uses telephony features but telephony is not available 400 on the current tablet, you can omit or replace the related functionality. 401 </li> 402 403 <li>Many tablets have a GPS sensor, but most users would not normally 404 carry their tablets while running. If your phone app provides 405 functionality to let the user record a GPS track of their runs while 406 carrying their phones, the app would not need to provide that 407 functionality on tablets because the use-case is not compelling. 408 </li> 409 </ul> 410 </li> 411 412 <li>If you will omit a feature or capability from your tablet UI, make sure 413 that it is not accessible to users or that it offers “graceful degradation” 414 to a replacement feature (also see the section below on hardware features). 415 </li> 416</ul> 417 418<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="android-versions">8. Target Android Versions Properly</h2></div> 419 420<p> 421 To ensure the broadest possible distribution to tablets, make sure that your 422 app properly targets the Android versions that support tablets. Initial 423 support for tablets was added in <a href= 424 "{@docRoot}about/versions/android-3.0.html">Android 3.0</a> (API level 11). 425 Unified UI framework support for tablets, phones, and other devices was 426 introduced in <a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-4.0.html">Android 427 4.0</a> 428</p> 429 430<p> 431 You can set the app's range of targeted Android versions in the manifest 432 file, in the <a href= 433 "{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html"><code><uses-sdk></code></a> 434 element. In most cases, you can target Android versions properly by setting 435 the element's <code>targetSdkVersion</code> attribute to the highest API 436 level available. 437</p> 438 439<p style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> 440 At a minimum, check the <a href= 441 "{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html"><code><uses-sdk></code></a> 442 element to make sure that: 443</p> 444 445<ol style="list-style-type:lower-alpha;margin-top:0em;"> 446 <li> 447 <code>targetSdkVersion</code> is declared with value 11 or higher (14 or 448 higher is recommended), OR 449 </li> 450 451 <li> 452 <code>minSdkVersion</code> is declared with value 11 or higher. 453 </li> 454 455 <li>If a <code>maxSdkVersion</code> attribute is declared, it must have a 456 value of 11 or higher. Note that, in general, the use of 457 <code>maxSdkVersion</code> is <em>not recommended</em>. 458 </li> 459</ol> 460 461<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 462 463<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 464 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/versions" 465 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 466 data-cardSizes="6x3" 467 data-maxResults="6"></div> 468 469<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="hardware-requirements">9. Declare Hardware Feature Dependencies Properly</h2></div> 470 471<p> 472 Handsets and tablets typically offer slightly different hardware support for 473 sensors, camera, telephony, and other features. For example, many tablets are 474 available in a "Wi-Fi" configuration that does not include telephony support. 475</p> 476 477<p> 478 So that you can distribute a single APK broadly across your full customer 479 base of phones and tablets, make sure that your app doesn't declare 480 requirements for hardware features that aren't commonly available on tablets. 481 Instead, properly declare the hardware features as <em>not required</em> in the app 482 manifest, as described below. 483</p> 484 485<ul> 486<li>In your app manifest, locate any <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-feature-element.html"><code><uses-feature></code></a> 487elements. In particular, look for hardware features that might not be 488available on some tablets, such as: 489 490<ul> 491<li><code>android.hardware.telephony</code></li> 492<li><code>android.hardware.camera</code> (refers to back camera), or</li> 493<li><code>android.hardware.camera.front</code></li> 494</ul></li> 495 496<li>Declare the <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-feature-element.html"><code><uses-feature></code></a> 497elements as <em>not required</em> by including the <code>android:required=”false”</code> 498attribute. 499 500<p> 501 For example, here's the proper way to declare a dependency on 502 <code>android.hardware.telephony</code>, such that you can still 503 distribute the app broadly, even to devices that don't offer telephony: 504</p> 505 506<pre><uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.telephony" android:required="false" /></pre></li> 507 508<li>Similarly, check the manifest for <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/permission-element.html"><code><permission></code></a> elements that 509<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-feature-element.html#permissions">imply hardware 510feature requirements</a> that not be appropriate for tablets. If you find such 511permissions, make sure to explicitly declare a corresponding 512<code><uses-feature></code> element for the features and includes the 513<code>android:required=”false”</code> attribute.</li> 514</ul> 515 516 517<p> 518 After declaring hardware features as <em>not required</em>, make sure to test 519 your app on a variety of devices. The app should function normally when the 520 hardware features it uses are not available, and it should offer "graceful 521 degradation" and alternative functionality where appropriate. 522</p> 523 524<p> 525 For example, if an app normally uses GPS to set the location but GPS is not 526 supported on the device, the app could let the user set the location manually 527 instead. The app can check for device hardware capabilities at runtime and handle 528 as needed. 529</p> 530 531<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 532 533<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 534 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/hardware" 535 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 536 data-cardSizes="9x3" 537 data-maxResults="6"></div> 538 539<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="support-screens">10. Declare Support for Tablet Screens</h2></div> 540 541<p>To ensure that you can distribute your app to a broad range of tablets, your app should 542declare support for tablet screen sizes in its manifest file, as follows:</p> 543 544<ul> 545 <li>A 546 <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/supports-screens-element.html"><code><supports-screens></code></a> 547 element, if declared, must not specify <code>android:largeScreens="false"</code> 548 or <code>android:xlargeScreens="false"</code>.</li> 549 <li>For apps targeting <code>minSdkVersion</code> value less than 13, a 550 <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/supports-screens-element.html"><code><supports-screens></code></a> 551 element must be declared with both <code>android:largeScreens="true"</code> and 552 <code>android:xlargeScreens="true"</code>.</li> 553</ul> 554 555<p>If the app declares a 556<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/compatible-screens-element.html"><code><compatible-screens></code></a> 557element in the manifest, the element should include attributes that specify 558<em>all of the size and density combinations for tablet screens</em> that the 559app supports. Note that, if possible, you should avoid using the 560<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/compatible-screens-element.html"><code><compatible-screens></code></a> 561element in your app.</p> 562 563<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 564 565<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 566 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/tabletscreens" 567 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 568 data-cardSizes="9x3,6x3,6x3" 569 data-maxResults="6"></div> 570 571 572<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="google-play">11. Showcase Your Tablet UI in Google Play</h2></div> 573 574<p> 575 After you've done the work to create an rich, optimized UI for your tablet 576 app, make sure that you let your customers know about it! Here are some key 577 ways to promote your tablet app to users on Google Play. 578</p> 579 580<div><img class="border-img" src="{@docRoot}images/gp-tablet-quality-4.jpg"></div> 581 582 583<h4> 584 Upload screenshots of your tablet UI 585</h4> 586 587<p> 588 Tablet users want to know what your app is like on a tablet device, not on a 589 phone. If you developed a tablet app, make sure to upload screenshots 590 of your tablet UI to the Google Play Developer Console. Here are some guidelines: 591 </p> 592 593<ul style="margin-top:0;"> 594 <li>Show the core functionality of your app, not a 595 startup or sign-in page. Wherever users will spend most of their time, that's 596 what you should show in your screenshots. 597 </li> 598 599 <li>Add screenshots taken on both 7-inch and 10-inch tablets. 600 </li> 601 602 <li>Add screenshots taken in both landscape and 603 portrait orientations, if possible. 604 </li> 605 606 <li>Use screen captures if possible. Avoid showing actual device hardware in your 607 screenshots.</li> 608 609 <li>The recommended resolution of your tablet screenshots is <strong>1280 x 720</strong> 610 or higher in each orientation. 611 </li> 612 613 <li>Upload as many as 8 screenshots of your tablet UI for 7-inch tablets 614 and an additional 8 for 10-inch tablets. 615 </li> 616</ul> 617 618<h4> 619 Update your app description and release notes 620</h4> 621 622<ul> 623 <li>In your app description, make sure to highlight that your app offers 624 tablet-optimized UI and great features for tablet users. Add some 625 detail about how your tablet UI works and why users will like it. 626 </li> 627 628 <li>Include information about tablet support in the app's release notes and 629 update information. 630 </li> 631</ul> 632 633<h4> 634 Update your promotional video 635</h4> 636 637<p> 638 Many users view an app's promotional video to get an idea of what the app is 639 like and whether they'll enjoy it. For tablet users, capitalize on this 640 interest by highlighting your app's tablet UI in your promotional video. Here 641 are some tips and guidelines: 642</p> 643 644<ul> 645 <li>Add one or more shots of your app running on a tablet. To engage with 646 tablet users most effectively, it's recommended that you promote your tablet 647 UI in approximately equal proportion to your phone UI. 648 </li> 649 650 <li>Show your tablet UI as early as possible in the video. Don't assume that 651 tablet users will wait patiently through a feature walkthrough on a phone UI. 652 Ideally, you should engage them immediately by showing the tablet UI within 653 the first 10 seconds, or at the same point that you introduce the phone UI. 654 </li> 655 656 <li>To make it clear that you are showing a tablet UI, include shots of your 657 app running on a hand-held tablet device. 658 </li> 659 660 <li>Highlight your app's tablet UI in the video's narrative or voiceover. 661 </li> 662</ul> 663 664<h4> 665 Feature your tablet UI in your promotional campaigns 666</h4> 667 668<p> 669 Make sure to let tablet users know about your tablet UI in your promotional 670 campaigns, web site, social posts, advertisements, and elsewhere. Here are 671 some suggestions: 672</p> 673 674<ul> 675 <li>Plan a marketing or advertising campaign that highlights the use of your 676 app on tablets.</li> 677 678 <li>Show your tablet app at its best in your promotional campaigns—use the <a href= 679 "{@docRoot}distribute/tools/promote/device-art.html">Device Art Generator</a> to 680 quickly generate a high-quality promotional image of your app running on a 681 7-inch or 10-inch tablet, in the orientation of your choice, with or without 682 drop-shadow and screen glare. It's as simple as capture, drag, and drop. 683 </li> 684 685 <li>Include a Google Play badge in your online promotions to let users link 686 directly to your app's store listing. You can generate a badge in a variety 687 of languages using the <a href= 688 "{@docRoot}distribute/tools/promote/badges.html">Badge Generator</a>. 689 </li> 690</ul> 691 692<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 693 694<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 695 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/showcase" 696 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 697 data-cardSizes="9x3,9x3,9x3,9x3" 698 data-maxResults="6"></div> 699 700<div class="headerLine"> 701 <h2 id="google-play-best-practices"> 702 12. Follow Best Practices for Publishing in Google Play 703 </h2> 704 705 706</div> 707 708<p> 709 Here are some best practices for delivering a successful tablet app on Google 710 Play. 711</p> 712 713<div> 714 <img class="border-img" src="{@docRoot}images/gp-tablet-quality-5.jpg" style= 715 "1px solid #ddd"> 716</div> 717 718<h4 id="google-play-optimization-tips"> 719 Check out your app's Optimization Tips 720</h4> 721 722<p>The Google Play Developer Console now offers an Optimization Tips page that 723lets you quickly check how your app is doing against basic guidelines for tablet app 724distribution and quality. To visit the page, sign into the Developer Console, 725load the app from All Applications, and click Optimization Tips in 726the left navigation.</p> 727 728<div class="sidebox-wrapper"> 729<div class="sidebox"> 730<h2>How to send feedback</h2> 731 732<p>Please use the link below to send 733feedback or request a manual review of your Optimization Tips.</p> 734 735<p>Make sure to read the relevant sections of the Tablet App Quality 736Guidelines prior to sending feedback.</p> 737 738<p><strong><a href="https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/tabletq" 739target="_googleplay" style="white-space:nowrap">Designed for Tablets Contact Form »</a></strong></p> 740</div> 741</div> 742 743<p>The Developer Console creates your app's Optimization Tips page 744by running a series of checks to verify basic quality 745criteria. If it finds any issues, it alerts you to them as "To Do" 746items in the Optimization Tips page.</p> 747 748<p>If you've developed a tablet experience for your app, make sure 749to visit the Optimization Tips page to see how your app is doing 750against the basic checks. If there are any issues listed, we 751recommend addressing them in your app and uploading a new binary for 752distribution, if needed. </p> 753 754<p>If the Optimization Tips page lists "To Do" issues that you feel don't 755apply to your app or affect its quality on tablets, please notify us 756using the <a href="https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/tabletq" 757target="_googleplay" style="white-space:nowrap">Designed for Tablets Contact Form »</a>. We 758will review your app and update your Optimization Tips page as 759appropriate.</p> 760 761 762<h4>Confirm the app's filtering</h4> 763 764<p> 765 After you've uploaded the app to the <a href= 766 "https://play.google.com/apps/publish/">Developer Console</a>, check the 767 APK's Supported Devices list to make sure that the app is not filtered from 768 tablet devices that you want to target. 769</p> 770 771<h4>Distribute as a single APK</h4> 772 773<p> 774 It's recommended that you publish your app as a single APK for all screen 775 sizes (phones and tablets), with a single Google Play listing. This approach 776 has several important advantages. 777</p> 778 779<ul style="margin-top:.25em;"> 780 <li>Easier for users to find your app from search, browsing, or promotions 781 </li> 782 783 <li>Easier for users to restore your app automatically if they get a new 784 device. 785 </li> 786 787 <li>Your ratings and download stats are consolidated across all devices. 788 </li> 789 790 <li>Publishing a tablet app in a second listing can dilute ratings for your 791 brand. 792 </li> 793</ul> 794 795<p> 796 If necessary, you can alternatively choose to deliver your app using <a href= 797 "{@docRoot}google/play/publishing/multiple-apks.html">Multiple APK Support</a>, 798 although in most cases using a single APK to reach all devices is strongly 799 recommended. 800</p> 801 802<h3 class="rel-resources clearfloat">Related resources</h3> 803<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 804 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines/googleplay" 805 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 806 data-cardSizes="9x3" 807 data-maxResults="6"></div> 808 809 810<div class="headerLine"> 811 <h2 id="test-environment"> 812 Setting Up a Test Environment for Tablets 813 </h2> 814 815 816</div> 817 818<p> 819 Assess the quality of your app on tablets — both for core app quality and 820 tablet app quality — with a suitable hardware or emulator environment 821 for testing. 822</p> 823 824<p> 825 Compared to the <a href= 826 "{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/core.html#test-environment">recommended 827 test environment</a> for testing against the core app quality criteria, 828 include mid-size tablets and tablets with more or fewer hardware/software 829 features. 830</p> 831 832<p class="table-caption"><strong>Table 1</strong>. A typical tablet test environment might 833include one or two devices from each row in the table below, with one of the 834listed platform versions, screen configurations, and hardware feature configurations.</p> 835 836<table> 837<tr> 838<th>Type</th> 839<th>Size</th> 840<th>Density</th> 841<th>Version</th> 842<th>AVD Skin</th> 843</tr> 844 845<tr> 846<td>7-inch tablet</td> 847<td><span style="white-space:nowrap"><code>large</code> or</span><br /><code>-sw600</code></td> 848<td><code>hdpi</code>,<br /><code>tvdpi</code></td> 849<td>Android 4.0+ (API level 14 and higher)</td> 850<td>WXGA800-7in</td> 851</tr> 852<tr> 853<td><span style="white-space:nowrap">10-inch</span> tablet</td> 854<td><span style="white-space:nowrap"><code>xlarge</code> or</span><br /><code>-sw800</code></td> 855<td><code>mdpi</code>,<br /><code>hdpi</code>,<br /><code>xhdpi</code></td> 856<td>Android 3.2+ (API level 13 and higher)</td> 857<td>WXGA800</td> 858</tr> 859</table> 860 861<div class="headerLine"><h2 id="related-resources">Related Resources</h2></div> 862 863<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 864 data-query="collection:distribute/essentials/tabletguidelines" 865 data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 866 data-cardSizes="9x3" 867 data-maxResults="6"></div>