Google is probably working on a keyboard and stylus for the Pixel Tablet

Google’s Pixel Tablet launched with a bundled charging and speaker dock, but no keyboard or stylus – not even as additional purchases. That’s a bit odd in today’s world where tablets routinely feature those as options. New evidence today points in the direction of Google actually working towards releasing a first-party keyboard and stylus for its tablet, however.

This was discovered by a developer in a URL that leads to the latest version of the Pixel Retail Demo app, which is used to lock down display devices in retail stores and showcase various features of the device it’s running on. The URL was spotted in the “PixelSetupWizardOverlay” APK, which points Google’s Setup Wizard app to the location of the latest version of the Retail Demo app during demo device provisioning.

The latest version of the Retail Demo app, released on May 21, houses strings that directly name a “Keyboard for Pixel Tablet” as well as a “Pen for Pixel Tablet”. There are no images of either accessory in the app, and at the moment we have no additional details like pricing or a release timeframe, but it’s pretty clear that Google is (or at least was, as recently as last month) working towards a launch of these accessories in the near future.

The fact that these strings can be found inside Google’s app meant to showcase features in retail stores strongly indicates that the company wants to showcase the upcoming keyboard and stylus in those stores when they arrive.

Add to this the fact that the Pixel Tablet’s official specs list support for USI 2.0 stylus pens, and the improvements in stylus and keyboard support added to Android 14, and the picture becomes even clearer.

Of course, there’s a chance that neither of these accessories will see the light of day – after all, if they’re real, why not announce them in May alongside the tablet? So do take all of this with a grain of salt, and we’ll let you know when we find out more.

Source

Google’s Pixel Tablet launched with a bundled charging and speaker dock, but no keyboard or stylus – not even as additional purchases. That’s a bit odd in today’s world where tablets routinely feature those as options. New evidence today points in the direction of Google actually working towards releasing a first-party keyboard and stylus for its tablet, however.

This was discovered by a developer in a URL that leads to the latest version of the Pixel Retail Demo app, which is used to lock down display devices in retail stores and showcase various features of the device it’s running on. The URL was spotted in the “PixelSetupWizardOverlay” APK, which points Google’s Setup Wizard app to the location of the latest version of the Retail Demo app during demo device provisioning.

The latest version of the Retail Demo app, released on May 21, houses strings that directly name a “Keyboard for Pixel Tablet” as well as a “Pen for Pixel Tablet”. There are no images of either accessory in the app, and at the moment we have no additional details like pricing or a release timeframe, but it’s pretty clear that Google is (or at least was, as recently as last month) working towards a launch of these accessories in the near future.

The fact that these strings can be found inside Google’s app meant to showcase features in retail stores strongly indicates that the company wants to showcase the upcoming keyboard and stylus in those stores when they arrive.

Add to this the fact that the Pixel Tablet’s official specs list support for USI 2.0 stylus pens, and the improvements in stylus and keyboard support added to Android 14, and the picture becomes even clearer.

Of course, there’s a chance that neither of these accessories will see the light of day – after all, if they’re real, why not announce them in May alongside the tablet? So do take all of this with a grain of salt, and we’ll let you know when we find out more.

Source