Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL; DR
- Android 14 is said to bring more keyboard shortcuts to larger screen devices like tablets.
- New additions include multitasking for split screen and shortcuts to switch between apps.
You can be very productive on Android tablets if you attach a keyboard, but there are still issues with this support. One of those limitations is that Android only offers a small number of native keyboard shortcuts, but that’s about to change with Android 14.
Journalist and Android code sleuth Mishaal Rahman revealed The Android 14 keyboard offers significantly expanded keyboard shortcuts when connecting to a device with a larger screen (eg tablets). The expanded list shown below was seen in the second Android 14 beta.
Some of the most notable Android 14 additions seen by Rahman include the ability to change input languages (Ctrl+Space), cycle through recent apps (Alt+Tab), the taskbar (Search+T), and a split-screen host. Multitasking options (like Search+Ctrl+Right/Left Arrows to launch split screen multitasking).
In comparison, Android 13 currently offers 13 physical keyboard shortcuts. These include system shortcuts for going home, going back, opening the recents menu, viewing notifications, checking keyboard shortcuts, and changing keyboard layouts. This is in addition to app-related shortcuts to quickly open the likes of Google Assistant, the Messages app, and more. See all current shortcuts below.
We’d like to see more platform and ecosystem improvements (like full-blown Chrome) to replace Android tablets as a true desktop version. But improved keyboard support is still a step in the right direction for the platform.
Have you ever used a keyboard on an Android tablet before?
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