Google announced at the Android Dev Summit that starting next year, the Google Play Store will actively evaluate how well apps and games perform on foldable screens.
the company has said that apps which adapt cleanly to these flexible displays will earn prime promotional placement and enhanced visibility across the store While the detailed criteria for the evaluation process will arrive later this year. The company has yet to clarify whether poorly adapted apps will suffer outright search penalties or simply forfeit featured discovery slots. As more people are likely to purchase foldable phones in the future, the apps’ user interface will be optimized for both cover and larger screens, giving users a better experience than before.
New tools to automate responsive design
That adoption curve is shifting fast, the report said. Until now, Google has relied largely on voluntary design guidelines, as per a report by Android Authority For many developers, committing resources to rebuild apps for foldables was hard to justify given the category’s smaller footprint compared to standard glass-slab phones. With Apple’s entry via the iPhone Duo expanding the foldable audience, Google hopes broader hardware interest will encourage cross-platform optimisation. Tabletop refactoring: For folding devices, the tool can automatically reorganise camera and media interfaces into dedicated tabletop modes when a device is partially bent.