Google is making a change to what it calls the “First Open Experience” that will launch Docs in edit mode, with Sheets and Slides also getting a “more creation-focused experience.”
Opening a document in the Google Docs app will launch in edit mode immediately, where you can start typing immediately instead of having to first tap the pencil FAB in the bottom-right corner.
The I-beam cursor is ready for immediate text input if you have a keyboard attached, while a tap brings up the virtual one. Google says the formatting toolbar will also be more visible. Opening in edit mode should save some time and reflects the desktop behavior, but I do use the preview mode from time to time.
Meanwhile, Google Sheets for Android is getting large tap targets, and “tapping once exposes the formula bar, tab bar, and a contextual formatting toolbar.”
Google Slides will immediately show the filmstrip preview of your entire deck at the left, while “selecting an object exposes the contextual toolbar and an on-screen keyboard.” Overall, this makes Google’s editor apps less for previewing content made elsewhere and more about creating on the go.
These changes are rolling out now.
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