Foldable Smartphones: Things to Keep in Mind While Making Apps
Given the continued progress of technology, it comes as no surprise that we now have foldable smartphones in the market. Besides the general excitement it has generated among users, the fact that foldable phones are now reality has significant ramifications for the app development world. Why? For a variety of reasons, actually, but primarily because we had more than 3.2 billion smartphone users in 2019 alone. And that number is expected to grow exponentially for the foreseeable future. That staggering statistic apart, there is another statistic that plays a crucial role in the overall scheme of things: on average, smartphone users interact with their phones as many as 63 times every day. And studies further reveal that more than 90 percent of those interactions are with apps.
So, apps are quite crucial in this context, yes? And now that we have an entirely new type of smartphone in the market, it only makes sense that it would impact how apps for them are developed. And it does — the mobile app development process for foldable smartphones has seen quality become the number one priority. Other differences observed include a rise in the number of test cases used since it involves conforming to the unique requirements of a multi-window environment. Additionally, feedback has also become considerably more critical. And even though this process is likely to evolve further, certain common factors can be kept in mind while developing apps for such devices to help make sure that you have a quality product at the end of the process. Some of them have been listed below for your benefit.
1. Adjust the screen ratio: Foldable smartphones’ form factor will differ quite a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some are choosing long and lean screens, while others are going for the complete opposite, i.e., smaller and large screens. So, when you set out to develop a mobile app for devices that seem to lack any standard in form factor, the app must be tested for a variety of screen ratios.
2. Multi-window mode: While we finally have a multi-window mode to deal with the problem of one app pausing the moment another app is opened, the challenge remains to a large extent. Thankfully, Android 10 and above versions have fixed the bug that caused only the app on the screen to resume after the phone has been locked. So, all apps’ functions can continue in multi-window mode. Don’t forget to factor this in.
3. Screen continuity: With foldable smartphones, it is crucial to make sure that apps can transition between screens without a hitch and resume in the same state as well. For this, developers will need to leverage dynamic resizing to make their apps resizable.
Developing apps for foldable smartphones is currently a complicated endeavour. That is why it is essential to enlist the assistance of a trusted Android app company to help ensure you can get this right.
