What you need to know
- YouTube for Android now takes advantage of the Z Flip's foldable form factor with a new Flex mode.
- Google and Samsung collaborated on the optimization effort over the past few months.
- The update is rolling out from April 22nd via the Play Store.
YouTube has debuted a new Flex mode for foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Taking advantage of the foldable form-factor, the new design splits the app's interface into two even sections.
You'll be able to use the top half to keep consuming content, while the other half can be used for searching for more videos, commenting, and so on. It's essentially a boosted version of the picture-in-picture mode for regular old slab phones, but one that takes advantage of the more unique form factor the Z Flip has.
Samsung made the announcement on Wednesday (opens in new tab), saying:
Working together, Samsung and Google's engineers redesigned the app from the operating system level. This included integration of the Android Support Library, making it easier to bring Flex mode to more third-party services.Through the collaboration, Samsung has worked closely with the Android developer community to drive innovation for foldable devices. Galaxy Z Flip users can download the Flex mode-optimized YouTube app from the Google Play Store starting from April 22 and enjoy the enhanced features that come with the latest update.
To take advantage of Flex mode, users will need to be running version 15.15.38 of the YouTube app, rolling out from today. Samsung and Google are also offering up to 4 months of free YouTube Premium access for new buyers for up to four months from the date of purchase.
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