7 productivity apps for Android tablets and foldable phones

Oct 19, 2023

[[read-time]] min read

See how different productivity apps are designed to make the most of the larger screen space on Android tablets and foldable phones.

Maru Ahues Bouza

Director of Product Management, Android Developer

A Zoom meeting is shown on an Android foldable phone, and a photo of a flower is shown on Dropbox on an Android tablet.

Android is continuing its work with developers to adapt your favorite apps to take advantage of the larger screens on tablets and foldable phones. Last month, we shared ways to watch your favorite videos, shows and movies with entertainment apps. Today, we’re sharing updates to seven apps that will help you be more productive on the go so you can check and respond to emails, edit documents or quickly take notes on your large screen devices.

1. Gmail

We are adding more functionality to make Google Workspace apps easier to use on tablets and foldable phones. For example, with Gmail, you can now open links or attachments side-by-side with your email. When you tap on a link or attachment in your email, the link will open on the right half of the screen and the email will move to the left half. You can even control the width of each half of the screen by dragging on the divider handle in the middle of the screen.

Gmail is open on a foldable phone. A person clicks on a hyperlinked webpage in an email, and the webpage opens side-by-side to the email.

2. Google Docs

In Google Docs, you can now get started faster with the ability to immediately edit your content on foldable phones and tablets. The formatting toolbar is more visible, you will see a cursor, and you can tap once to see an on-screen keyboard if no physical keyboard is attached to your device.

A document is opened in Google Docs on a Pixel tablet. After an on-screen tap, a keyboard appears on the screen.

3. Zoom

Zoom’s app has a new design for foldable phones in tabletop mode. This enables you to take a Zoom meeting hands-free on your phone, with the video appearing in the top half of the screen and meeting controls appearing in the bottom half.

A Zoom meeting is shown on a foldable phone in tabletop mode.

4. Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader updated its layout for large-sized Android devices to help make the most of every inch of the screen. You can use Adobe Acrobat Reader in split-screen mode to do multiple things at once, and you can drag and drop PDF files from a separate app to open and read in it in Acrobat. Acrobat Reader is also working on helping you open two PDFs side-by-side to work across documents.

Split screen mode is shown on a foldable phone. The left side of the screen shows a PDF file open in Acrobat while the right side shows a calculator app open.

5. Dropbox

Dropbox’s app layout has been updated so the app will automatically resize to best fit the large screen on your foldable phone or tablet. The app now also supports the ability to connect an external mouse and keyboard to your device.

A .jpg image of a flower is open in Dropbox on a tablet.

6. Evernote

Evernote, a note-taking and task-management app, works with a stylus so you can annotate documents and handwrite notes in the app’s Sketch feature. If you are using your tablet or foldable phone in landscape mode, you will now see a two-pane layout, similar to how the app works on a desktop computer. In this layout, you can quickly see all your notes at a glance on the left side, and then edit the note you select on the right side. Evernote also updated their widget layout to adapt to multiple sizes and orientations, so you can see all your notes right from the home screen of your device.

A two-pane layout is shown in the Evernote app on a foldable phone. The left-hand pane shows a list of notes and the right-hand pane shows the details of the selected note.

7. Todoist

Todoist, a task-planning app, also uses a two-pane layout on large-screen devices so it’s easier to find and read your notes. Todoist also made it easier to reach navigational elements, such as your settings or inbox, making it simpler to move through the app.