Android adds foldable phone support, teases Samsung device next year – CNET

There’s been a lot of talk about foldable smartphones. Most of these rumors have centered around phone-makers developing the technology — like Samsung, Huawei and Apple. But now another major player has gone on the record to share its plans: Google’s Android.

At the Android Dev Summit on Wednesday, Android announced that it’s officially adding support for foldable devices.

We just announced support for foldables at #AndroidDevSummit, a new form factor coming next year from Android partners.

Android apps run seamlessly as the device folds, achieving this form factor’s chief feature: screen continuity. pic.twitter.com/NAfOmCOY26

— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) November 7, 2018

Folding phones will (literally) add a new dimension to how we interact with our phones, and Android is working to make that possible.

At the summit, Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke said that he expects to see foldable devices from several different Android manufacturers. He also called out Samsung, saying that Android and Samsung are working closely together on a device planned for an early 2019 launch. Burke is probably referring to the foldable Galaxy phone, which Samsung also announced Wednesday.

Burke says that a big part of making foldable devices work is something called screen continuity. For example, if you’re using an app in folded mode and want to switch to unfolded, specific software is needed to make that transition seamless.