What you need to know
- The Google Pixel Fold is set to get a fan-favorite feature from the OnePlus Open, as it has been spotted in the Android 15 Developer Preview 2.
- The feature, known as "swipe up to continue," allows users to continue using apps on the cover screen after closing the main screen.
- Pixel Fold owners have three default settings for the new feature: always, swipe up to continue, and never.
Google released the second Android 15 Developer Preview this week, which means that a ton of new features and changes are being discovered. The big one is support for satellite connectivity, but there are plenty of more under-the-radar additions. Namely, the Google Pixel Fold is borrowing a fan-favorite feature from the OnePlus Open, known as "swipe up to continue."
As Android expert Mishaal Rahman first explained via Android Police, Android 15 DP2 gives Pixel Fold owners a new default setting for how their smartphone will respond when the cover screen closes. Previously, if you closed the Pixel Fold's main screen, the cover screen would remain off unless you changed the default setting to always or only games, videos, and more. Still, there wasn't a way for Pixel Fold to selectively choose whether they wanted to continue using an app on the cover screen each time.
OnePlus had the idea of giving users the option of swiping up on the cover screen to continue using the app they just had open on the main screen. This lets OnePlus Open users decide whether to continue using an app situationally rather than be locked into a default preference. Now, Google is following suit with the Android 15 Developer Preview 2. The only games, videos, and more option in the Pixel Fold settings app has been replaced with a swipe up to continue toggle.
Android 15 DP2 on the Pixel Fold has added the "swipe up to continue" screen lock feature I first reported was coming! This feature is ripped right from the OnePlus Open, and it lets you choose which apps to continue on the outer screen.https://t.co/9OUrieHgUJMarch 21, 2024
That leaves Pixel Fold users with three possible default settings under the Continue using apps on fold page. Always will automatically turn on the front display when you close the Pixel Fold. Never automatically locks the Pixel Fold when you close it, every single time.
Google describes the new swipe up to continue as follows: "Fold your phone and swipe up on the front display to continue using the app, or wait a few seconds for the screen to lock."
Swipe up to continue was not present in Android 15 Developer Preview 1, and it was only added in the second release. It figures that Google will publicly release the feature to all Pixel Fold owners alongside Android 15. However, it is confirmed to be working on Pixel Fold units running Android 15 DP 2.
The big-screen foldable from Google
Google's Pixel Fold brought the wide form factor to foldable phones in the U.S., providing much-needed competition. Now, it's still getting new features, like the "swipe up to continue" one spotted in Android 15.
