The best apps that are actually built for foldables

Last month at the Android Dev Summit, we learned Google plans to start taking foldable apps much more seriously. While there’s a growing number of foldable apps out there, Google wants to bring extra attention to the highest-quality options by offering boosted visibility and more prominent placement. The specific terms or criteria for the plan have yet to be fully divulged; this seems like a positive sign for foldable users looking for apps that can take advantage of the extra real estate. 

While the program might not be ready, the good news is that there are already quite a few solid foldable apps out there. Let’s take a look at just five of the best options that we recommend.

Everyone knows the Amazon Kindle brand, and it’s certainly my go-to app whenever I set up a new phone. What you might not be aware of is how well the app is optimized for the large-screen experience and foldables in general. 

The Kindle app features a two-page book layout automatically when used on a book-style foldable. This gives it a more immersive, book-like experience, which is only improved by the fact that the app dynamically scales and transitions from a standard single-column scrolling view on the narrow outer cover screen to an optimized layout on the squarer inner display instantly. As you might have guessed, the app also makes use of multi-window support if you want to read a Kindle book on one screen while using a note-taking app on the other. 

As much as the Kindle app does right for foldables, it is worth noting that it sometimes has UI issues as it struggles to recognize the physical hinge, and so some elements might be centered awkwardly. There’s also no Flex Mode support or anything like that. Still, if you’re looking for an e-reader that plays nice with foldables, you really won’t find a better option. 

Duet Display is a powerful app that turns your foldable phone into a portable extended monitor. Not only can you connect your phone to a laptop via USB or Wi-Fi, but it even supports touchscreen capabilities as well.

This app is perfect if you’re looking for a secondary display to pair with a tablet or laptop. There are even remote desktop and device mirroring features available. 

The biggest downside to the experience is that it isn’t free, at least beyond a limited free trial. The base package (Duet Starter) is just $2.99 a month, but there are other packages including Air (which adds better gesture control) for $3.99 a month, and Duet Pro (which adds remote desktop features, privacy mode, and more) for $5.99 per month. 

Evernote is one of the most popular cross-platform note-taking apps out there, but it’s even better on a foldable phone. Not only does it offer stylus and sketch support, but its two-pane landscape mode takes full advantage of the larger screen real estate, letting you see your complete list of notes on the left side, while you can read or edit it on the right. 

Beyond the main UI adaptations, Evernote also offers adaptive widgets that automatically scale to the various sizes and orientations a foldable might find itself in. There’s also a split-screen mode and a fullscreen distraction-free option as well. 

Evernote is free to use, but you are limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device, and 1GB of storage. There are upgraded tiers, including the $99-a-year Evernote Starter, which allows up to 1,000 notes and 20 notebooks, with support for three devices and 5GB of storage. 

You’ll want to try out Sketchbook if you’re looking for a solid sketching app that plays well with foldables. Not only does it have an extensive set of features well suited to drawing, but it also takes advantage of the full size to give you a decent canvas size.

Of course, there are plenty of other drawing apps that can use the whole screen, but this one takes it a bit further. Sketchbook’s streamlined UI is not only easy to use, but it maximizes the drawing area, doesn’t overclutter the screen, and ensures that everything you need is within easy reach. You’ll also find full S-Pen compatibility for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold owners and a design that makes it easy to use without the foldable display’s crease getting in the way. 

Sketchbook is free by default, though there is a premium tier that includes more brushes, colors, tools, layer grouping, and a few other advanced features. The upgrade is a one-time purchase of around $2.99. 

CapCut is a popular mobile video editing app for mobile users, though the Pad version has been optimized for big-screen devices, including foldables. 

Not only do you get a full, spacious workspace that mimics the PC version of CapCut, but it also has some of the most advanced desktop-class editing tools that you’ll find in the mobile world. This means multi-layer and multi-track editing, keyframe animations, filters, captions, and many other capabilities. For the longest time, it was exclusive to the iPad, but this is no longer the case. 

While there’s a free version that includes manual editing and standard effects, you’ll want at least the Standard Plan ($9.99 a month) to use many of its more advanced features, like 4K exporting and AI. Need even more out of it? The Pro tier (around $20 a month) unlocks even more, including up to 1TB of cloud storage.