The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a superb little foldable held again by a too-tiny entrance show. It’s simply onerous doing a lot on a 1.9-inch display. Even although Samsung tried making it a bit of extra helpful on this 12 months’s iteration, it’s nonetheless just a bit window from which you’ll be able to view notifications and sure widgets, however not rather more. Developer IJP addresses simply this ache level with its Cover Screen OS, a free app on the Google Play Store. It’s been accessible for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and got a recent update to support the Flip 4. And it really works — but it surely’s additionally type of terrible for causes outdoors of the builders’ management.

To IJP’s credit score, the app does a pleasant job of strolling you thru a considerably concerned setup course of — it’s important to give it loads of permissions — and it integrates properly with Samsung’s current launcher for the quilt display. Instead of overwriting the entire thing, it coexists peacefully by basically overlaying a brand new set of swipe gesture controls on the right-most a part of the display. You can entry further fast setting controls, like don’t disturb, and entry media playback controls straight from the house display. Meanwhile, all of Samsung’s inventory options, like widgets and Samsung Pay, are nonetheless there at your beck and name.

Cover Screen OS additionally permits you to entry a full app drawer and launch full apps on the quilt display itself. Should you strive to have a look at Instagram posts by means of a tiny 1.9-inch letterbox-sized window? Absolutely not. But you are able to do it.

Many extra helpful options are behind a paywall, like the power to open a full notification on the quilt display and sort a response with a full QWERTY keyboard. In truth, you could need to go forward and pay for the app as a result of the free model really removes the power to dictate a response to a textual content that’s supported by Samsung’s inventory OS. You pays $1.99 per 30 days or $14.99 yearly to unlock all options. Fun truth: you possibly can select your plan and course of your fee by means of the Google Play Store, all on the quilt display itself. How’s that for on-brand?

The undeniable fact that this app even exists simply highlights that folks need to do extra with the Z Flip’s cowl display than the present design permits. Using most apps on its tiny show is agonizing; there’s a purpose why Samsung doesn’t permit this stage of interplay within the first place. But Cover Screen OS is a pleasant piece of software program if you wish to do extra than simply learn notifications with out unfolding your telephone. It picks up the place Samsung left off, and Samsung left loads off of what you are able to do with the quilt display. Hopefully the Z Flip 5 takes a web page out of Motorola’s ebook and provides us a much bigger canvas to work with.