Google has added a new checklist to its Android Developer site with the aim of improving the user experience of tablet apps published on Google Play.

Google is by no means as prescriptive or restrictive as either Apple or Microsoft when it comes to what can and cannot be accepted for publication and distribution, but the Design, Develop and Distribute sections of the Android Developer website has guidelines.

The latest addition is on Tablet App Quality and it covers a number of key focus areas such as optimizing layouts for larger screens and using Icons and other assets designed for tablet screens.

Each focus area  in the above list comprises several smaller tasks or best practices and are fully explained with links to other resources. Point 1, for example, direct you to the existing set of quality criteria that every Android app should meet. Point 3 takes you to a section on multi-pane layouts in the Patterns library of the Design section as well as being nicely summed up by this diagram:

If you are an experienced app developer you probably feel much of this advice is unnecessary. However, one of the attractive features of Android development is that you don't have to be part of a well-established team to try to enter the marketplace. So having a checklist backed up with patterns and practices seems a really helpful move.