Sneak Peek: Customized Zoom Features for Each App on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
Summary
- Recently, Samsung was observed developing new zoom controls for apps on its latest foldable devices.
- Evidence was found in the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s firmware; however, the feature wasn’t available on the device.
- A tip from an insider indicates that these settings are now accessible on the new Z Fold 8 as a Labs option.
Samsung has officially launched its latest foldables, and as pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8 roll in, attention turns to new features introduced with One UI 9 stable. Recently, hints emerged regarding a new accessibility feature for screen zoom, allowing users to customize zoom levels for individual apps. Initially, the progress status was unclear, but we have now pinpointed its location and can showcase the feature in action.
Last Friday, we uncovered strings in the firmware image of the Fold 8 Ultra that hinted at per-app zoom settings. While users can globally adjust zoom levels for all apps, the Android system has lacked the ability to individually customize zoom for different applications.
At that time, we were unable to demonstrate the feature, but recent insights from tipster Dylan H indicate that while this option is not present on both the Fold 8 Ultra and Flip 8, it can be found as a developing feature within Settings -> Advanced features -> Labs on the Fold 8.
As previously suggested, users can set individual applications to one of five different zoom levels. While many apps are supported, it’s worth noting that Samsung’s own applications currently don’t seem to be among them. Whether this will change as the feature moves out of Labs remains to be seen.
Testing the zoom options reveals varying impacts across different apps.
For example, in Chrome, shown at the smallest, medium, and largest zoom levels, the website content does not appear to enlarge, while the user interface does.
On the other hand, Google Maps provides a clearer demonstration, where both the user interface and app content scale harmoniously for enhanced visibility across all zoom levels.
While it’s exciting to see this feature in operation, it also raises questions, such as why it currently seems exclusive to the Fold 8 and whether this will change over time. For now, caution is warranted, as Samsung has indicated that the Z8 foldables provided to the media are not running their final retail firmware.
With official sales set to begin on August 7, it won’t be long before we hopefully get answers to these outstanding questions.
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