With Samsung unveiling its first foldable smartphone yesterday, 2019 could be deemed as the year where we will see the craze of foldable screens. These phones will not only feature cutting-edge hardware technology, but the software would also be different, and Google has buckled up already.
In its Android Developer Summit, Google has announced the Android support for foldable smartphones. Since there is no concrete form factor and OEMs will experiment with the foldable screen technology, Google is working with hardware partners like Samsung.
Google and Samsung’s partnership will result in a foldable device that will be launched “early next year.”
A new category named “Foldables” has been announced, and Google is working hard to bring all Android features to it.
We just announced support for foldables at #AndroidDevSummit, a new form factor coming next year from Android partners.
Android apps run seamlessly as the device folds, achieving this form factor's chief feature: screen continuity. pic.twitter.com/NAfOmCOY26
— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) November 7, 2018
“You can think of the device as both a phone and a tablet, Broadly, there are two variants — two-screen devices and one-screen devices. When folded, it looks like a phone, fitting in your pocket or purse,” said David Burke, Android VP of Engineering.
“The defining feature for this form factor is something we call screen continuity,” he further added.
Android for Foldables will alert apps when users fold the screen, and the functionality of the apps will also be changed as the screen folds. It will be similar to switching smartphones between landscape and portrait mode.
With the Android support rolling out for the nascent technology, it could be huge for the smartphone industry and could change the entire industry like the ‘notch‘ did this year.
Also Read: Tim Berners-Lee Is Going To Change The Internet; Again
