Google had a weird request for Samsung before accepting to work on Android 12L
Samsung, earlier this week, rolled out Android 12L update to older Samsung foldable devices including the Galaxy Z Fold3, Galaxy Z Flip3, the Galaxy Z Fold2, the Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Z Fold. The Android 12L-based One UI 4.1.1 brings a host of new features including an updated taskbar, new multi-tasking feature and a flex mode among others to Samsung’s foldable devices. Now, a new report has spilled the beans as to how Google came to developing a dedicated operating system for foldable devices.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the IFA 2022, which concluded on September 6, Samsung VP Yoojin Hong revealed that Google agreed to develop a dedicated version of Android mobile operating for foldable display smartphones on the condition that Samsung would keep releasing new foldable devices every year.
“I remember when we had our very first conversation with Google’s product team and Samsung’s product team, with managers, software developers, etc. everyone around the table started talking about this project very enthusiastically. And as a developer, it was a very nice feeling, it was full of passion, full of ‘wow that’s great’. It was exciting because we felt like we were working on a real innovation at the time,” the Samsung executive said while talking to the media on the sidelines of IFA.
Later in the interview, Hong revealed as to what Google demanded in exchange for providing all the APIs, the maintenance, and the entire partnership. “Are we going to continue to produce this phone every year? That was their question…So we said we were going to do it. We made a commitment at that meeting,” the Samsung executive added.
The Samsung executive also shared that while it wasn’t sure if the market would accept the new device and the new form factor, yet the company went ahead and committed to developing new foldable display smartphones as it would be able to make important developmental decisions owing to being first in the space.
As far as what Google gained on making the move is concerned, the company has been tipped to be working on a foldable display smartphone for a long time. And so, agreeing to helping Samsung would also help the company in its own efforts of developing a foldable device.
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