Microsoft has announced enhanced support for Flutter on foldable devices. The software giant said it will ramp up efforts to improve the Flutter SDK, especially for Microsoft Surface Duo. Google recently launched Flutter 2.0, featuring web and desktop support improvements, among others. With rapid evolutions like these, the popularity of Flutter app development services is growing significantly.

Last year, Microsoft released guidelines for developing apps for the Surface Duo using the Flutter SDK. Using the guide app developers can add a dedicated Surface Duo SDK to a Flutter project. Android developers are increasingly choosing Flutter for writing cross-platform apps. And Microsoft doesn’t want to miss a potentially expanding market.

Microsoft unveiled a preview of foldable device support at Google’s Flutter Engage event. It’s the same event where Google launched Flutter 2. Microsoft said the support is not merged into Flutter. The company wants to get feedback from developers before launching full-blown foldable support. As a developer, you must first understand the types of foldable devices to create Flutter apps for those devices.

Types of Foldable Devices

Foldables are an emerging segment in the mobile devices market. Dozens of global brands launching foldables, from Samsung to Huawei and Microsoft. That’s why as developers you cannot afford to avoid these emerging devices.

Microsoft Surface Duo devices have two separate displays connected by a hinge. Your app on a Surface Duo sees one larger single screen along with display features like hinge blocking. Display features are areas on the display that could be obstructed or nonfunctional. Microsoft will add Flutter app support for three types of display features: cutout, hinge, and fold.

A cutout is the edge of a display that holds camera systems. A hinge is the physical divider between the two displays on a Surface Duo device. The fold is a like a hinge with zero width. It shows you where the foldable display has a crease. All these elements play significant roles in Flutter app development services for foldable.

Read more: Flutter for Windows Released

Knowing your Foldable Apps

Understanding these display features are crucial for developing Flutter apps for foldable devices. Both Flutter and Android treat these display elements as one single large screen, and not two separate displays. So, whether it’s Android app development or cross-platform Flutter, you must know these features inside out.

With these Microsoft features, you could manually compensate for a hinge or adjust the app’s UI to match with the fold. Alternatively, you could use the Flutter platform to automatically make these adjustments. For instance, Flutter could out a popup dialogue in the center of the left or right screen, instead of center between the two screens.

Microsoft Widget for Flutter Developers

Microsoft has also developed a widget for developers who want to create consistent app experiences across all foldable and traditional devices. The “TwoPane” widget enables you to create a single view of Flutter widgets and the UI on a standard smartphone or while using just one half of a foldable device. While using both the screens of a foldable, however, it shows two separate views of your Flutter app. You can choose the layout. On foldable devices like the Microsoft Surface Duo, one pane appears on each screen.

Wrapping Up

As mentioned earlier, Microsoft is yet to incorporate the foldable app features into the Flutter SDK. The tech giant is first seeking feedback from the globally-spread Flutter developers’ community. “We first want to listen to your feedback. Our goal is to empower you to easily build amazing experiences for all foldables,” a Senior Surface Duo Developer at Microsoft wrote in a blog post.

We, at Android Developer, are excited about the forthcoming foldable app capabilities. Our Flutter enthusiasts have already given extensive feedback to Microsoft’s Flutter foldable support preview. We’re hoping to use Microsoft’s innovative foldable features to make our Flutter app development services even more futuristic. Follow our blogs and social media handles to stay informed about noteworthy tech happenings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the display features in Microsoft foldable devices?

Display features are properties of the display. Cutout, hinge, and fold are three main types of display features on Surface Duo devices. A cutout is the edge of a display that holds camera systems. A hinge is a physical divider between the two displays on a Surface Duo device. The fold is like a hinge with zero width. It shows you where the foldable display has a crease.

Q. What is cross-platform mobile app development?

Cross-platform mobile development is the creation of apps that are compatible with multiple mobile operating systems, such as Android and iOS. Developers write the core of the application as an HTML5 or JavaScript mobile app and then make the necessary coding for different platforms.

Q. What is Flutter app development?

Flutter is an open-source mobile app UI development toolkit created by Google. It is used to develop applications for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and the web from a single codebase. Flutter supports web app development using standards-based web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Q. How much does it cost to build a Flutter app?

The costs of developing a Flutter app depend on several factors. Design complexity, development time, type of features, etc. play an important role in calculating the costs. Android Developer delivers flawless Flutter apps at a competitive price.

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