Google Play will highlight dedicated tablet apps to tablet users by default from November 21

Google today announced that next month it will change which apps are presented to tablet owners when they visit Google Play. The company is looking to emphasize apps that are built specifically for the devices, and bury everything else.

There are two changes coming on November 21 for tablet owners browsing Google Play:

• The “Designed for tablets” view will become the default for users browsing the top lists on their tablets (Top Paid, Top Free, Top Grossing, Top New Paid, Top New Free, and Trending).
• Apps and games that do not meet the “Designed for tablets” criteria will be marked as “Designed for phones.”

Google is notifying Android developers of the changes some six weeks in advance to give them time to ensure that their apps are optimized for tablets. Specifically, it has to meet the criteria for the “Designed for tablets” view. If you’re an Android app builder, you’ll want to check out the Tablet App Quality Checklist.

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Furthermore, you can also look at your Optimization Tips in the Developer Console. Address any “to do” items that are listed and upload a new binary if necessary. If no items are listed, your app will be included in the “Designed for tablets” view (normal ranking and filtering will of course still apply).

Here’s how it looks:

Back in March, Google added the “Designed for tablets” section to Google Play, letting users more easily discover apps specifically meant for tablets. The point was to improve tablet app visibility, but now Google has decided it needs another bump.

Android tablet users can of course still switch views so they can see all apps or games. Yet Google is clearly confident enough now that there are enough tablet apps out there to make bring the section to the forefront.

See also – Google announces 70m tablet activations, claims 1 in every 2 tablets sold in 2013 runs Android and Twitter is optimizing its Android app for tablets, starting with Samsung devices and available to all by year end

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