If you’ve played around with a flip phone before, you might’ve experienced simultaneous excitement and frustration with the external display. Yes, it’s a standalone screen, and yes, it’s not as usable as one could hope it would be. It’s OK for checking notifications, time-telling or using certain widgets, but it doesn’t provide much room for imagination. Those issues were addressed by a third-party app, namely CoverScreen OS.
What does CoverScreen OS offer?
Basically, it brings all your Android widgets on the cover display, making them usable. It also gives you access to your installed apps, in case you feel like browsing the web in Chrome on the 1.9 inch (48 mm) outer display of the Z Fold 4. Should you choose to install CoverScreen OS, bear in mind that you’ll have to grant the app a lot of permissions. In exchange for those, you’ll receive a third-party launcher with extra swipe gesture controls. The full range of options are available after subscribing or buying the app.
How does it relate to the hot Razr 40 Plus/Ultra?
Upgrading a Samsung’s sub-2 in. outer display is fun, and now Razr 40 Plus/Ultra users get to do it, too. As a matter of fact, the Razr offers a native app launcher, but more importantly, it offers something way more interesting in terms of hardware: a big, even huge (by flip phone standards) cover display: 3.6 inches, 1056 x 1066 px. You can read more about the Razr+ (2023) in our detailed article with specs and price info.Back to CoverScreen OS (CSOS): if you’re ok with using a 3.6-inch display all the time, you don’t have to open your Razr at all. Mind you, there was a time when we as a civilization used Nokia 3310’s 1.5 in. (84×48 px) display and thrived. All jokes aside, developer IJP highlights that compatibility with the Razr would not be an issue: ‘This version of CoverScreen OS is courtesy of over 138+ versions released and tested on Samsung Z Flip and Oppo Find N2 series, by thousands of users’. Three components are to unleash the full potential of the external screen for an ‘exceptional user experience’:
- CSOS Clockface
- Extensive Third-Party Widget Support
- Advanced App Drawer
Let’s take a closer look
On the ‘CSOS Clockface’ point: the app allows users to set animated objects, pictures (or selfies), GIFs, or even videos as clockface wallpapers. Talking about ‘adding a touch of uniqueness and personalization’, you can’t ask for more. There are also multiple layout options and setting ‘direct access to any Android widget available on your phone, directly on the lockscreen’.Widget integration is said to be ‘seamless’: ‘Enjoy the convenience and functionality of a wide range of widgets from various apps. Swiping towards the left on the external screen reveals the widgets added through CSOS, while swiping to the right displays the native widgets.’ The developer claims that these widgets are be calibrated to fit ‘perfectly’ on the Razr screen, and if there’s need for extra pinching, there are two zoom/scaling options available.
As an app launcher, CSOS offers various sorting options to suit your preference. You can sort apps by most recently launched, alphabetically, favorites, and also search for a specific app. ‘Even when you have an app already launched on the external screen, CoverScreen OS ensures that the launcher remains accessible. This means you can switch between apps on the external screen without any hassle, providing a smooth and uninterrupted experience’.
Accessing the launcher is easy: a simple tap on the external screen’s LED hole should do the trick and your apps should immediately pop up, no need for navigating through menus and panels.
