Samsung Electronics is unfolding the future with a first-of-its-kind mobile device: the Galaxy Fold. It marks the beginning of a new era in mobile technology, and the company has been working alongside its partners and the Android developer community to design a new and complete foldable user experience.
Efforts to design this software experience for the Galaxy Fold began at the framework level in April 2018. As part of this process, Samsung developed a whole new UX and collaborated closely with Google to provide integrated OS support from Android.
“We didn’t just build new category-defining hardware, we also worked with major partners to design and deliver a brand-new mobile experience and foster an ecosystem that gives users access to the best applications and services,” said ES Chung, EVP and Head of Software and AI, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is software innovation that incorporates both an immersive UX and a new UI perspective to provide a seamless experience.”
Since the introduction of the Infinity Flex Display at SDC 2018, Samsung and Google set up test labs in cities across the globe, working with partners and developers to test and verify that their apps and services are optimized for the Galaxy Fold and the Android ecosystem. Alongside this effort, Google introduced changes in Android 10 to offer improved resizable activity, multi-resume functionality, and an updated Android Emulator to help support multiple-display type switching – opening the door to future foldable device optimization.
Now, select applications that Android users know and love have been updated to deliver an immersive, foldable experience on the Galaxy Fold.
“Together with ecosystem partners like Samsung, we have the opportunity to deliver an entirely new user experience that could transform the way we use our smartphones. We enjoyed working closely with the Samsung team and the Android developer community to ensure the users of the Galaxy Fold have the best experiences with their favorite apps and services,” said Sagar Kamdar, Director of Product Management for Android at Google.
Hundreds of apps have been optimized for the Galaxy Fold, including services from leading partners like Amazon Prime Video, Facebook, Spotify, Twitter, Microsoft, VSCO and more.
“We are excited to work with Samsung to bring Prime members their favorite shows, movies and live sports on the Galaxy Fold,” said BA Winston, Global Head of Digital Video Playback and Technology at Amazon Prime Video. “Bringing the Prime Video app to the Galaxy Fold will give customers a new way to experience Amazon Originals like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with Multi Window and Multi Resume.”
“The new Samsung Galaxy Fold has the potential to usher in a new era of design, and it will be exciting to see what new use cases a foldable experience will unlock for users,” said Marc Shedroff, Vice President, Business Development, Facebook.
“The Fold will take mobile productivity to new heights and enable a more seamless Spotify listening experience for our users. Simply open the preloaded Spotify app to connect and listen across the Samsung ecosystem,” said Sten Garmark, VP of Consumer Products, Spotify.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Samsung and expand the Twitter experience to the Samsung Galaxy Fold. We are looking forward to seeing how people on Twitter engage with this foldable experience and its evolution over time,” said Brent Horowitz, Vice President, Global Product Partnerships at Twitter.
“Our mission at VSCO is to help everyone fall in love with their own creativity, and to build tools and spaces to help achieve this. We’re excited to continue our collaboration with Samsung to build deeper, more expansive experiences for creators everywhere,” said Bryan Mason, Chief Business Officer at VSCO.
“Office 365 is built to help people maximize their time while creating their best work – no matter where they are or which device they’re using,” said Jon Tinter, CVP of Business Development, Microsoft. “We’re excited to extend the Office experience to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, and help people transform their personal productivity.”
With features like seamless App Continuity and Multi-Active Window, Galaxy Fold users can browse, watch, connect, and multitask like never before. They can switch seamlessly from the cover display to the main display and run multiple apps simultaneously on the Galaxy Fold’s 7.3-inch main display, revolutionizing the way people work and play on the go.
These top applications and services and many more are now available in the Android ecosystem for the Galaxy Fold in the Google Play Store and Galaxy Store.
