Apple's recently announced iPhone Duo foldable phone has already seen its signature opening and closing animation replicated on an Android device. The unique effect, which makes the phone's display appear to expand as it opens, was recreated by a software developer on Reddit.
The iPhone Duo, slated for release on October 23, features the Apple A20 Pro chip, which allows it to power both displays simultaneously. This capability enables a distinctive animation where the outer display fades out as the phone unfolds, and the inner display then expands to show the home screen, giving the impression of a growing display from certain angles.
A user named moomanjohnny shared a video on the GalaxyFold subreddit demonstrating this animation on a Galaxy Z Fold 8. The recreation involves using data from the hinge sensor and a screenshot of the home screen to create a transition animation. However, this implementation is not system-wide.
According to moomanjohnny's explanation within the Reddit thread, the animation's limitation stems from Android's permission system. Necessary permissions for such an animation to be integrated throughout the operating system's launcher are typically restricted to Android's background processes. The developer noted that SystemUI, which can overlay other apps and control their rendering through SurfaceFlinger, has access to these privileged APIs. However, these specific APIs are generally not made available by vendors outside of SystemUI due to security considerations.
While it remains uncertain if Samsung will officially incorporate this type of animation into the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the successful recreation suggests that the hardware is capable of supporting such features. Given Samsung Mobile's previous attention to Apple's foldable announcement, there is a possibility that this functionality could be introduced to Samsung's Fold line in the future.