Probably one of the biggest complaints you’ll hear from Apple fans and other Android tablet critics is that the Android tablet experience isn’t as good as you’ll find on Android phones or on competing tablet platforms.

The biggest reason for these complaints is that there (arguably) aren’t enough apps optimized to take advantage of a tablet’s larger display. Sure, smartphone apps work fine on Android tablets, but it’s not nearly as refined of an experience as you get with an app that was designed with a tablet in mind.

Earlier this year, Google started to tackle this problem by introducing a “designed for tablets” section to Google Play. As it turns out, that’s only the beginning. Starting November 21st, Google is introducing a new change that will not only encourage developers to optimize their apps for tablets, but will also make it easier for Android users to find these apps.

Starting November 21st, Google is introducing a new change that will not only encourage developers to optimize their apps for tablets, but will also make it easier for Android users to find these apps.

What’s the big change? “Designed for tablets” will now be the default view when browsing top lists on Google Play via a tablet. By making this change, Google is assuring that tablet users have easy access to apps that are designed to provide the best possible tablet experience. Don’t worry though, tablet users will still be able to easily switch views to see and download any and all Android apps.

Further drawing the line in the sand between a tablet app and a phone app, all apps that don’t meet Google’s “Designed for tablets” criteria will be marked in the Play Store as “designed for phones”.

We have to say we are thrilled by this change, largely because it makes it clear to developers that optimizing apps for the tablet is important if you want your app to have maximum exposure. Here’s to hoping that this change means plenty of new tablet-optimized apps will start flooding to the Play Store just in time for the holidays.

What do you think of the new change? Will it be enough to push developers to finally take tablet optimization seriously? For more details on what all is involved for a developer to get their apps marked as “designed for tablets”, head on over to the Android Developer’s blog.