Reside Transcribe’s new dual-screen mode will not work on all foldables: Here is why

At its Made by Google occasion earlier this month, Google introduced the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, the corporate’s second-generation book-style foldable. Alongside the brand new foldable, Google additionally rolled out an replace to Reside Transcribe that brings a brand new dual-screen mode for foldable telephones. Many assumed this new dual-screen mode could be accessible on all foldables, but it surely’s truly solely accessible on foldables from Google and Samsung. Right here’s why.

Though almost each foldable telephone has an outer show, a lot of them don’t present a manner for third-party apps to benefit from it. Even when they do, it includes using personal APIs which are solely accessible on gadgets from a selected model. With the rising variety of foldable telephones and the discharge of its personal foldable, Google determined to create a set of standardized APIs that lets third-party apps leverage the outer show of foldable telephones. These APIs can be found within the Jetpack WindowManager library. Apps that use this library can benefit from Android’s rear show mode or twin show mode to point out content material solely on the rear show or on each screens.

Nonetheless, this library can’t set off the rear show or the dual-display mode if the working system doesn’t expose the outer show to the lower-level WindowManager APIs it depends upon. OEMs should implement the Jetpack WindowManager Extensions module on the system stage for the actual model of Android their foldables will run. To this point, solely Google and Samsung have accomplished this.

In consequence, solely Google and Samsung foldables can assist Android’s rear show and dual-display modes. And for the reason that new Reside Transcribe dual-screen mode depends on these APIs, it doesn’t work on foldables from different manufacturers.

In my testing, I’ve confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Google Pixel Fold assist Android’s rear and dual-screen modes. I assume the Pixel 9 Professional Fold additionally helps it, given its point out in Google’s weblog submit, however seeing as I don’t have one, I can’t affirm myself. Older Samsung foldables might have additionally gotten assist for these modes after updating to Android 14, which is when the dual-screen mode was added, however I haven’t been in a position to verify them. I’ve confirmed that the OnePlus Open, Xiaomi MIX Flip, and Motorola Razr Plus (2024) don’t assist these modes. Therefore, they don’t assist Reside Transcribe’s dual-screen mode both.

It’s a disgrace that so few foldable telephones assist Android’s APIs for rear and dual-screen mode. This implies app builders have much less incentive to create new options that use the outer show. Hopefully, OEMs will take be aware and add assist for these APIs in future updates, which is able to open the door to doubtlessly revolutionary use circumstances down the highway.