Once the Motorola Razr V3 led the way, slider and flip phones were a big hit. Over the years, technology and trends for mobile devices have changed, transforming slim and compact flip phones into foldable phones with bendable screens. It looks like magic, but giant smartphone makers like Samsung, Huawei, and even Motorola have made it possible. Therefore, we have entered an era of mobile app development solutions for foldable devices.
Since foldable mobile phones have been around for a few years, we can certainly expect a bright future for them. In a short time after they arrived, these phones caught the attention of people around the world. What if the phone could fold up into a small size when not in use and expand to a large size when needed? As part of their mobile app strategies, many companies are considering foldable devices.
In the Global device forecast report, foldable smartphones are predicted to account for 5% of high-end smartphones by 2023. Despite a high price tag, foldable phones are packed with useful features. Mobile app development will be affected a lot by these phones shortly. Take a look at how the mobile app development company will respond to the growing demand to develop apps for foldable phones.
What are Foldable Devices?
In foldable devices, the display is folded or there is a hinge that separates the display into two parts (typically halves). In some devices with a hinge, content can be spanned behind the hinge; for example, the Microsoft Surface Duo in its spanned mode.
Foldable devices have been around since Nokia introduced the Morph concept in 2008. Flexible OLED displays are unique in that they can be folded into full-screen displays that are double the size.
Users will enjoy a more immersive experience when using foldable devices. A good example of such a device is Samsung Galaxy Fold, which is now available for purchase. Manufacturers of smartphones and tablets are expected to become more interested in the technology shortly.
It is estimated that 55 million foldable smartphone displays will be shipped by 2025, according to Statista. Hence, it’s about time you learn the basics of building apps for foldable devices.
Impact of Foldable On App Development
Even though foldable technology seems exciting from the users’ perspective, it is unclear how it will affect mobile app development. Many companies have already explored the new technology, which has already had a significant impact on it.
Here are some of the changes and benefits that foldable devices bring to app development:
- Extra screen estate – foldable devices provide users with a more immersive experience since a large screen is available to them. Thanks to foldable technology, two screens can be combined into one big screen.
- Small size – today, users have to choose between a compact form factor and a large screen. With foldable devices, users can have everything in one device. They can have twice as many screens as a traditional smartphone.
- New types of content – thanks to the larger screen estate, creators will be able to create content that takes full advantage of the larger area.
- More features – modern smartphones have limited screen sizes that don’t allow a full array of features. Multiscreen applications will be able to be built for foldable devices, which will provide users with many features on a single screen.
One day, foldable tablets and smartphones will dominate the world of devices, bringing with them a lot of opportunities.
Apps for Foldable Phones: Top Features
Mobile app development companies build immersive and feature-rich applications. Here are some tips to consider when developing apps for large screens and foldable devices.
- Continuity
Users should be able to switch from one screen to another in an app designed for foldable devices. A continuity feature can deliver consistency and optimal results. We design seamless apps for mobile phones.
- Resizability
The scalability of the system is also crucial. It is easy to carry and handle folding mobile phones because they can be resized. This is where compatibility plays a role. An app should be able to adapt to the size and movement of foldable phones.
- Multi-window capability
Folding phones with multiple windows are available. Multiple apps can be run simultaneously. Once the phone is expanded, users can run multiple apps at the same time. Multitasking should also be made easy through the app’s ability to run in a multitasking environment.
- Multi-resume
When developing apps, developers should pay attention to this feature. The multi-resume feature can be helpful when developing apps for foldable phones because it allows the user to run or pause an app depending on their behavior. The app gets paused when the user is not using it.
- Multi-display support
More features are available on foldable mobile phones, and they have more screens at once. Developers can make use of multi-display support to create Android apps for foldable devices if they understand how it can help them work on various screens for Chrome OS.
- The screen ratio
As opposed to other mobile apps, apps for foldable devices must run on as many screens as possible. Additionally, these apps should be checked for different screen ratios so that the content or videos can be read or viewed with ease. It is also important to maintain the screen ratio for a seamless experience.
Last but not least, a company that develops mobile apps for foldable devices has to do extensive testing. Before releasing the app for foldable devices, all of these features must be properly implemented.
CONCLUSION
The world of portable devices is only beginning to embrace foldable devices. Samsung foldable smartphones are the most prominent example of this.
The technology sector is predicted to see a plethora of foldable devices soon.However, you do not need to wait until then. Apps can already be developed for foldable screens today since there are already devices with them.
BIBLIOGRAPHY