Skip to main content

Android will natively support devices with "Foldable" to limit fragmentation


Google is officially announcing support for a category of Android devices it’s decided to call “Foldables.” Speaking today at the Android Developer Summit, VP of engineering Dave Burke said that Google is “enhancing Android to take advantage of this new form factor with as little work as necessary.” But as of right now, those enhancements are mostly just guidance for developers to start using already-existing features that are built into Android.
If you haven’t heard, devices with folding displays are about to become a thing. Today is the day when Samsung start showing its phone with a folding display at its developer conference, which is happening at the same time as Google’s summit. Google is working closely with Samsung on how Android will develop foldables. But Google’s focus is on making sure that it becomes a platform-level thing for Android that any OEM can use.
That’s important because Google has been waging a never-ending battle against fragmentation on Android, and a new form factor is a potential inflection point. As manufacturers race to create devices, they’re going to need software that can support them.
If Google weren’t opinionated about how that software works, every manufacturer would come up with their own solution, and the ecosystem would get really messy really fast. Director of product management Sagar Kamdar says that Google is “working closely with our OEM partners to ensure we have a common API surface for developers.”

Android Phone Are Going to Get Weird Again

The main way Google is supporting foldable displays today is by pointing developers toward an existing feature called “screen continuity.” It’s the API Android apps use to know when the screen size has changed — for example, when you rotate your screen or if you use Android in windows on Chrome OS. “This new form factor is therefore simply adding new use cases to this existing pattern,” Kamdar says. So for Android apps to support folding displays, developers need to ensure they’re properly implementing this feature.
Kamdar says that’s already the case for most of the apps Google makes. But if you’ve used Android apps on Chrome OS, you know that a lot of third-party apps aren’t all that great in windowed mode yet, which could bode ill for foldables. I asked if there will be an attempt to fix that beyond haranguing developers to update, and Kamdar says that Google is “exploring many different ways to ensure a seamless foldables experience for users. More to come, but nothing to announce today.”
As for Google, there’s surely more to come in terms of Android’s support for this new foldable category. The company isn’t ready yet to discuss some of the more fundamental questions, like will Google create a default home screen for foldables? Will better support for drag-and-drop on a full-screen display come? Will device makers need to sign a different kind of Android license to create a foldable phone?
Samsung will be showing more of its plans (and hopefully its device) at its keynote today. Burke dropped some news about that, too, saying Google is “already working closely with Samsung on a new device they plan to launch early next year.”

Comments

Translate

Popular posts from this blog

OnePlus Teases the New Triple Rear Camera of the OnePlus 7 Pro

OnePlus will bring out the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro on May 14 and it's already starting their teaser campaign. Under the hashtag #OnePlus7Series we get the first official nod to the new triple camera that's expected to  be a highlight of the OnePlus 7 Pro ( but is unlikely to appear on the OnePlus 7). The teaser carries the laconic message " Bells and whisle make noise. We make phones." The triple camera is expected to consist of a 3x zoom camera, an 117Â degree ultra-wide unite an d a 48MP regular module. The latter will appear in the OnePlus 7'' dual camera setup, likely accompanied by second 24MP camera. The price expected to start €700 ( approx. Rs. 54,600).

ZTE Axon 10 Pro with 6.47-Inch AMOLED Display, Snapdragon 855 SoC Goes Official

At the MWC 2019 held in February this year, ZTE announced its first ever 5G smartphone called ZTE Axon 10Pro 5G. Last month, the company even showcased the device at 5G event held in Shanghai, China. Now, the company launched the 4G version of the Axon 10 Pro in Chinese market. It comes in three different storage options - 6 GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, and 12GB + 256GB. Talking about the pricing, the base variant will be retailing for just CNY 3199 (approx. USD 470/ INR 33,000). The 8GB and 12GB RAM variants are priced at CNY 3699 (approx. USD 545/ INR 38,000) and CNY 4199 (approx. USD 620/ INR 43,000) respectively. It is already available for sale via ZTE, JD, and Tmall. As of now, there is no information regarding the pricing or availability of the Axon 10 Pro 5G. It comes with Aluminium frame with curved glass on the front and rear. On the front, the device sports a 6.46-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) resolution and supports HDR10 playback. It offers 19.5:9...

Redmi Y3 Shown Off In Latest Video

Xiaomi's sub-brand Redmi recently shared a video teasing the 4,000 mAh battery on the upcoming Redmi Y3. Now, the company has posted yet another teaser which reveals the phone's design. The video shows the textured back of the Redmi Y3 which is home to a dual camera and a fingerprint scanner. On the front, the smartphone has a waterdrop notch display which is surrounded by thin bezels on three sides, and a thicker chin. This video also shows the company putting the Redmi Y3 through an improvised tumble-down-the-stairs "durability challenge" to showcase how tough this selfie-centric smartphone is. The Redmi Y3 will be launched next week on April 24 at an event in New Delhi, India. It will feature a 32MP selfie snapper which will be one of its biggest highlights. Source