App support for large screens/foldable phones

[owen7]

Hello! I would love for the fitbit app to be able to resize/show data arrayed horizontally for large screens like those of horizontal folding phones. I know google is releasing new tools to make applications more compatible with foldables, and I'd just like to make sure this is in the works with the fitbit app too.

[Guy_]

Hi @owen7 - landscape mode has been a long standing request.See Landscape Orientation Fitbit app since 2014.and  others in feature requests

[SunsetRunner]

It's pretty poor that a service, owned by Google, has an app that doesn't support foldable devices - especially as it has been four months since the release of the Google Fold. The Fold would have been in development for a significant time before release.

[Guy_]

Hi @SunsetRunner - it might not be a phone issue -may be it is one of  the numerous issues with the latest Fitbit App.

What in particular isn't supported on your phone that is supported on other phones ?

What is your specific phone and OS level which may also be an issue?

[owen7]

Hi,

Just to clarify, it's not that the app is not supported for folding phones, it's just that like many apps, it is only designed to show data/resize for vertical/portrait screens. Once a foldable phone unfolds, the app is unable to resize to the full unfolded screen. This is an issue with many apps on android, and Google is working with developers on tools designed to support these new devices. 

[SunsetRunner]

Apologies, not supported probably isn't the most accurate description of the issue - the app works, it just only appears on half of the screen when unfolded.

It's more accurate to say the app isn't optimised on foldables. The issue isn't unique to the Fitbit app, it's the default behaviour on the Pixel Fold to show apps not optimised with a landscape layout on half the screen.

This is design choice by Google on the Fold, due to the screen ratio chosen, apps on the inner unfolded screen are displaying in landscape mode (Samsung Z Fold series with its tall ratio, open in portrait mode).

However, if Fitbit/Google we're to have a layout in their manifest file for large, landscape view, the app would better fit such devices. You see this in other Google apps where the layout dynamically changes based on either being in folded or unfolded mode.

[Guy_]

Thanks for the clarifications @SunsetRunner and @owen7  - this seems to be a Google problem in that the phone does not have a compatibility mode.

It should be able to revert to a default display mode that best shows the app on the screen for those apps that are not written natively for that Pixel or other model.

Annoyingly there are of course things that the app already doesn't do, like landscape mode, dark mode and probably it should be including native support the Folding phones as you mention. There many things not working properly in the latest app that need fixing, just possibly an older Fitbit App version may behave better, though probably not worth investigating.