Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Z Flip 5’s Cover Display.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a remarkable addition to the world of foldable phones, arriving alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to provide a sleek clamshell alternative for those seeking top-tier performance in a compact form factor.
What truly sets the Z Flip 5 apart and keeps it competitive with newcomers like the Oppo Find N2 Flip and the European counterpart, the Motorola Razr Plus (also known as the Razr 40 Ultra), is its expanded cover display. This screen is significantly larger than the meager 1.9-inch offering of its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Samsung has capitalized on the additional screen real estate of the 2023 Flip by introducing a variety of purpose-built widgets for the expanded 3.4-inch outer display.
Out of the box, you’ll discover a selection of clock faces and over a dozen widgets, including weather, calendar, stocks, timer, alarm, SmartThings routines, and more. These widgets can be easily toggled on and off within the Flip 5’s cover screen settings submenu. However, despite the initial appearance, you are not restricted to the widgets initially provided by Samsung. In fact, you can run nearly any app installed on the Flex Window (Samsung’s term for the Flip 5’s outer screen).
You have a couple of methods to enable apps on the cover screen: a native option accessible through the Samsung Labs menu and an add-on available within Samsung’s downloadable Good Lock customization suite. Here’s how to utilize both approaches.
TOOLS AND REQUIREMENTS
Your Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 requires a Samsung account for downloading apps from the Galaxy Store.
Simple Guide: How to Utilize Apps on the Cover Display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
To run Samsung-approved apps on your Flip 5’s cover screen, follow these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Select Advanced features.
- Tap on Labs.
- Toggle on ‘Apps allowed on cover screen.’
If you want to run any app on your Flip 5’s cover screen, follow these steps:
- Open the Galaxy Store.
- Search for and download Good Lock.
- Open Good Lock.
- Tap on the ‘Life up’ tab in the bottom-right corner.
- Download the MultiStar add-on from the list (available via Galaxy Store).
- In Good Lock, tap on MultiStar.
- Tap ‘I ♡ Galaxy Foldable’ at the top of the menu.
- Tap on Launcher Widget.
- Enable Launcher Widget and ensure the toggle is turned on in the subsequent widgets menu.
- Go back.
- Tap on app icons to add your desired apps to the Launcher Widget.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Running Samsung-Verified Apps:
While this approach is limited to running a specific set of pre-approved apps (more details in the following section), Samsung does provide a level of Flex Window app functionality through the phone’s built-in experimental features available in Samsung Labs
1. Open Settings
Locate the Settings app in your Flip 5’s app drawer (as shown in the left image), or alternatively, swipe down your notifications and quick settings shade from the top of the screen and then tap the cog icon (as depicted in the right image) to enter the phone’s settings menu.
2. Select ‘Advanced features’
Navigate down the settings menu until you come across the ‘Advanced features’ option, typically represented by a yellow gear icon featuring a plus sign in the center. Simply tap on it to enter the advanced features menu
3. Tap on ‘Labs’
In the ‘Advanced features’ submenu, you’ll notice the ‘Labs’ option near the top. This is the Samsung Labs section we mentioned earlier, a feature commonly present on modern Samsung phones. It provides access to experimental functions for your device. Simply tap on it.
4. Switch on ‘Enable apps for cover screen
Slide the switch adjacent to ‘Enable apps for cover screen.’ Once activated, you’ll observe a text preview of the default apps that are now enabled.
5. Choose which apps can appear on the cover screen
If you tap on the text ‘Enable apps for cover screen’ located beside the switch, it will display the complete menu of pre-approved apps suitable for the cover screen, which are already present on your Flip 5. From here, you can select your preferred apps to appear or disappear by toggling them on or off.
6. Try it out!
After you’ve made your app selections, simply fold your Flip 5 closed. Swipe across the phone’s cover screen to locate your newly added apps widget. You can customize this widget by rearranging, adding, or removing apps, similar to managing any other Flex Window widget.