Today as we know, there are many foldable and flip phones in the market. From Samsung, there are Samsung fold and Samsung flip series that offer foldable and flippable phones. We can say that this is a revolutionary step in the smartphone industry.
The device has brought all-new and exciting app development challenges in the mobile app development industry. Developers will find different challenges and can now use the enhanced and enlarged display to show their work and creativity.
Today, users spend almost 60% of their daily time on their mobile phones for different activities such as social media, music, games and many more.
For developers, developing an app for a foldable phone is a challenge they must tackle. It might be a new concept, but not for the experts. Here are some things developers can consider when developing an app for foldable phones.
Following things will help develop a perfect foldable phone app.
Compatibility with two postures
When it comes to Non-foldable phones there is only one screen we need to deal with. One flat single display is enough. Whereas foldable phones are just alike but with one single difference – it opens up as a book offering a large display for users to operate with. Users can then work on two displays side by side.
This is one of the main factors which must be considered during the development.
Resizable and Responsive apps
When developing the apps, now developers need to make sure that every app is now compatible with this multi-display concept.
The current apps must be customised and updated. Also, developers need to make sure that the fonts and content size are bigger for the enlarged screen for foldable phones.
Compatibility with two states
Developers have to make sure that the upcoming apps are compatible with both the state of new foldable phones. For instance, in foldable phones, there are two states. The first is the flat single display, and the second is the half-opened state.
Here developers need to make sure the app is designed in a way that the app will adopt the screen posture and adjust on its own. Like, if an app is running in a flat display state, and the user opens up the second screen the app must adjust and adapt to the change.
Multi-Window Support
With the upgrade in the device, an update in the software is also important. Multi-window support will be a necessity for the upcoming foldable device apps.
Also, multi-resume functionality is important for this type of phone.
Better App Quality
Developers nowadays work with the latest version of android studio to develop a pixel-perfect android application. Using the simulator, developers can test their app and make changes accordingly.
But with the foldable apps, the issue is that none of the IDE offers a testing platform for its enlarged display. With the launch of Samsung fold devices, Samsung also launched a simulation software to try and test android applications for foldable applications.
It becomes far difficult for developers to test an application without simulating software. AOSP(Android open source project) also offers various device simulations that simulate foldable devices.
Android studio’s AVD(Android Virtual Device) manager also offers to test for foldable and rollable devices.
Dual Application on Dual Screen
With dual screens, users wish to use both screens simultaneously. Users wish to enjoy playing games with watching their favourite web series on the other half.
To make sure users enjoy the same, developers need to make sure that the apps are optimized for dual display. Apps can be used simultaneously and are compatible with other applications.
Also, users must be able to use other apps directly. They must be able to use different app activities to use in another. Like, they can use drag and drop to attach photos in an email directly from the gallery.
Tips for Designers and writers
Foldable phones will be the priority of designers and writers. These enlarged displays will help designers create better content, and also writers will be able to write more efficiently.
With an enlarged display, designers will get almost 50% of the extra space to use for. They can use this space efficiently and create things more efficiently. Also, sometimes writers prefer laptops or pc over mobile for writing their content. But with the enlarged screen option, they can use the extra space and use the foldable smartphone as a portable laptop for work.
Conclusion
Foldable and flippable smartphones are a new invention in the industry. The development of foldable apps will bring different opportunities for developers too. The above-highlighted features are different from the normal smartphones. Also, startups and businesses can use the idea effectively for their app development too. Top Mobile App Development Companies like iMOBDEV have expert Android app developers who are proficient in the field and ready to accept any challenges given. Let’s work together and develop a foldable app for your business too. Contact us now, and one of our customer service representatives will connect with you shortly.
