Half of the fun of following upcoming smartphone and tablet releases is trying to figure out which leaks are legit and which are fabricated. Since thePixel Tabletwas in the unique position of being unveiled a whole year before its launch, there were an unusual amount of rumors around it. One had us excited about potential first-party accessories from Google, but it never came to fruition. Now, there’s new evidence to rekindle hope.
After reliable leaker Kamila Wojciechowska had tweeted about astylusand akeyboardfor the Pixel Tabletin late May, many were disappointed when Google didn’t announce either product at launch. But Mishaal Rahman, working forAndroid Authority, recently received a tip from developerPratyushabout a few lines of code in thenewly-released factory images for the Pixel Tabletthat has reinvigorated our hopes for first-party input accessories.
The Pixel Tablet might still get a first-party stylus and keyboard
Google publishes the factory images for all its Pixel devices, and these contain every file and app that makes up each device’s firmware. One of these apps is called PixelSetupWizardOverlay, and it contained a URL for the newest version of Google’s Retail Demo app, which powers the display mode interface you see on phones and tablets when trying them out in a store.
There were a set of strings within the Pixel’s Retail Demo app that directly mentioned a “Keyboard for Pixel Tablet” and a “Pen for Pixel Tablet.” As these references appear within a Google-made app, they’re pretty strong evidence that these accessories could be in the works — or at least they were at some point.
But it’s possible these strings are simply referring to third-party accessories made for the Pixel Tablet. Google’s new device featuresUSI 2.0 support, meaning any stylus bearing this mark will offer full functionality with the Pixel Tablet. Google even included a magnetic mount on one side of the Pixel Tablet for USI styluses, and itworks beautifully with the included dock.
Still, it would be nice to have a first-party stylus option, and a purpose-built Pixel Tablet keyboard would be a dream come true. Considering all thenew external keyboard and touchpad featuresin the upcoming Android 14 release and themassive new list of keyboard shortcuts, Google would do well to give its tablet some better input options.
