The YouTube Music Now Playing widget may be available on the Galaxy Z Flip cover screens

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A discovery in the code of the YouTube Music app suggests that the company is working to bring “Flex Window” support to Samsung’s Flip foldable model.
The widget will likely provide users with quick playback controls such as play/pause and forward/back buttons.
When Samsung launched “Flex Window” in 2023, it was clear that some work was needed as users were limited by this “curated, optimized experience.”

YouTube Music may be working on foldable phone support to improve user experience.

According to Android Authority, the latest version of the YouTube Music mobile app (v7.24.51) contains notes pointing to a “FlipWidgetProvider.” The publication performed an APK teardown of the app and found a string that directly mentions a widget for a “Flip” device, which is reportedly Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series.

The post states that the app’s code shows that the “music player” widget can be activated via Settings > Cover Screen > Widgets as soon as YouTube rolls it out. Users may find this useful as such a widget is not supported by the Flip series. However, it is Is on your standard slab phone like Galaxy S24 series for home screen. The widget offers options such as play/pause, skip forward/back and thumbs up/down.

With the expected launch on the Flip Series cover display, users can get improved access to their music without Opening the phone. Given the size of the Galaxy Z flip cover display, this widget gives users more reach. Speaking of which, it’s unclear which devices will take advantage of YouTube Music’s widget support.

The widget is likely to launch on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Flip 5; However, it’s unclear how far Samsung wants to go back.

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

When the Flip 5 launched in 2023, Samsung called the larger screen in its Flip series “Flex Window.” It was clear from the start that the “window” needed to be more flexible. Users were unable to open a desired app on the cover display. Samsung has implemented a “curated, optimized experience” that limits your options. Originally, the Flip 5 cover display supported the following apps: Google Messages, Samsung Messages, WhatsApp, YouTube, Netflix and Google Maps.

The ability to open more apps was behind Samsung’s Good Lock app launcher. The launcher gave users control over almost every app they had. This YouTube Music widget with Flex Window support is likely to provide users with a more refined music control experience.

Additionally, YouTube Music has been busy rolling out a Gemini extension for desktop and Android users. Users will find a set of recommended commands for the AI to search for music, discover albums or for specific radio genres. After Gemini finds the song, users are redirected to YouTube Music for playback or continuous radio streaming.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 render 400x500

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