Blender's Android Tablet Support Is Taking Shape

Blender support for tablets has been a dream for many users for years, and things finally started moving about a year ago, when the Blender Foundation announced plans to explore native, on-the-go support. But since then, there hasn't been much news, as the initiative is currently on temporary hold.

So, what happened since then, and why is the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, which was supposed to be the first platform for testing this concept, no longer a priority? Dalai Felinto, Blender's Head of Product, addressed these questions in this thread:

"The simple answer is a lack of funding that we could comfortably dedicate to this project. It is definitely a strategic target and something we want to pursue. But we could not secure the funding required last year to work on this in 2026.

On the flip side, Android support development will start this year. And some of the work will also benefit the future iPad implementation."

Android support is definitely being worked on, as shown in this new video from Blender. And if you have an Android tablet running Android 13, you can actually help out too.

Blender is already known to work on high-end Android tablets, but developers are now testing the waters to figure out what's needed to support a wider range of devices. Right now, they're missing detailed information about which extensions, properties, and features these tablets actually support.

You can find detailed instructions on how to install a client tool, along with the list of devices needed for testing, here.

Naturally, this news raised questions about why Android is being prioritized over iOS. After all, with how popular Procreate is on the iPad, you'd think Blender could do really well there too. But honestly, it's a pretty sensible move. As mentioned earlier, funding is an issue, and Apple also has FOSS licensing and build-upload restrictions that make things more complicated. Android tablets are cheaper, easier to access, and also popular for drawing and other creative work.

Let's see how this develops. In the meantime, you can also support another cool Blender initiative: Overgrown, a feature film that aims to create an open-source resource for artists working on large-scale animated productions.