What you need to know
- Samsung has revealed that it worked with Google and the Android developer community to optimize apps for the Galaxy Fold.
- The company says its development team has optimized "hundreds" of apps for the foldable device.
- Some of the apps optimized for the Galaxy Fold include Facebook, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Twitter, Microsoft Office, and Youtube.
Samsung's first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold was announced in February this year. Just ahead of its planned release in April, however, the company delayed the launch after several reviewers reported display issues with early Galaxy Fold units. While the delay was no doubt disappointing, it gave Samsung's developers ample time to work with Google and other major partners to optimize popular apps and services for the foldable smartphone.
Thanks to the company's collaboration with Google and other major partners, apps like Amazon Prime Video, Twitter, Spotify, Facebook, VSCO, and Microsoft Office have been fully optimized for the Galaxy Fold. To help developers test and optimize their apps for the device, Samsung and Google had set up test labs in Korea, the U.S. and China. Samsung also released a 'remote test lab', which allowed developers to test their apps with the help of a Galaxy Fold emulator on their PC.
Sagar Kamdar, director of product management for Android at Google, wrote in a blog post:
Together with ecosystem partners like Samsung, we have the opportunity to deliver an entirely new user experience that could transform the way we use our smartphones. We enjoyed working closely with the Samsung team and the Android developer community to ensure the users of the Galaxy Fold have the best experiences with their favorite apps and services.
The revamped Galaxy Fold finally is now on sale in Korea and is slated to be released in the UK and Germany on September 18. In the U.S., Samsung is expected to launch the foldable phone on September 27. While the price hasn't been confirmed yet, we expect it to be just under $2000.
Samsung Galaxy Fold
The revamped Galaxy Fold comes with several tweaks and improvements that should make it a lot more durable than the early units. Even though Samsung hasn't confirmed U.S. availability yet, you can now register your interest in the Galaxy Fold on the company's website.
