If you're a tech fan, you'd have to have been living under a rock for five years to not know about foldable phones. These devices are just brilliant, offering huge screen sizes without needing a gargantuan footprint.
We've seen a whole host of these devices launched in the last few months, too. Everything from classic big hitters like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 to first attempts like the Google Pixel Fold have hit the market, giving wannabe users an unprecedented amount of options.
Now, the whole market looks set to get a boost. That's thanks to Android 14 – the operating system which exists on all foldable phones on the market currently. According to a report from Android Police, the latest version of the operating system will give developers access to the tools required for using all of the screens on a device at once.
That means, hypothetically, a third party app developer with such a need could now utilise the front screen and the internal display at the same time. We've already seen that in use, with the Pixel Interpreter feature on the Pixel Fold. That's currently the only app to make use of it, but it may not be for much longer.
It's an exciting development in the foldable phone space. While it could scarcely be called a crucial feature, it's certainly something which would improve the functionality of these devices.
As an eager onlooker – someone very interested in foldable phones, but who has yet to take the plunge – this excites me. Many foldable device manufacturers are obsessed with making comparisons to traditional Android phones.
I understand why – users need reassurance that this isn't going to be a new thing to learn from scratch. But it's time that we start to embrace the unique elements of foldable phones with a little more vigour.
These devices are truly remarkable – they fold in half, for Pete's sake – and having more apps which can embrace that feature set will only ever be a good thing for the industry at large. I, for one, will certainly be keeping an eye out for new apps and features using this over the coming months.
