The best part about being in the Android ecosystem is its flexibility. Unlike the competition (looking at you, Apple), Android gives you the freedom to use different form factors. You have options from standard slab phones to flip phones and book-style foldables that unfold into a tablet-like experience, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. These foldable phones offer plenty of screen space, making it easy to multitask and run apps side by side.
That said, not all apps are fully optimized for large foldable screens. Some still feel like stretched versions of phone apps. But when apps are properly optimized, they look and function beautifully. Here are some of the best apps optimized for foldables that I always install on any foldable phone I use.
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6 Samsung Internet: Best browser for big screens
A smooth, fast browser that just feels right on foldables
I’ll be honest: I’ve become a big fan of Samsung Internet lately, and one of the main reasons is how well it’s optimized for foldables. On large-screen foldables, the browser offers a true desktop-style layout with a proper tab bar across the top, a full address bar, and a customizable toolbar that gives you a browsing experience close to a laptop.
You can even set websites to open in desktop mode by default, and the overall browsing experience is clean and smooth. On Samsung Galaxy foldables, the browser also supports third-party plugins like ad-blockers, translation tools, and more.
There are other great features too, like the ability to search YouTube directly from the address bar and a dark mode for all websites, which makes reading easier on the eyes. Best of all, Samsung Internet works great on the cover screen as well, making it perfect for quick lookups on the go.
5 Amazon Kindle: Turn your foldable into an e-reader
Reading books feels natural on the inner display
One of the best parts of owning a book-style foldable phone is how great it is for reading, whether it’s articles, emails, or books. While there are plenty of book-reading apps available on Android, the one I keep coming back to is the Amazon Kindle app.
On foldables, the Kindle app feels right at home. Thanks to the large inner foldable display and app optimization, the Kindle app delivers a real book-like experience. You get real page-turn animations, adjustable page colors, and the ability to tweak settings like margins, line spacing, and fonts. There are other useful features too, like text highlighting, custom font support, and the option to turn pages using the volume buttons.
The Kindle app has practically replaced my physical Kindle, and I no longer need to carry an extra device in my backpack. If you’re someone who reads a lot, especially while traveling, this is one of the best apps to have on your foldable.
4 Duet Display: Turns your phone into a second screen
Use your foldable as an external monitor
The whole point of owning a book-style foldable is to make the most of that big inner display. One of the apps I rely on, especially while traveling, is Duet Display. It turns your foldable into an external monitor for your laptop, which is a game-changer if you’re used to a dual-monitor setup like I am.
All you need to do is install the app on both your laptop and foldable, connect them with a USB cable, and you’ve got yourself a second screen. There’s even a wireless mode available, which uses Wi-Fi to sync between the devices, so you don’t have to rely on cables if you don’t want to.
The best part is that most of Duet Display’s core features are free, and the app even supports touch input, so you can control content directly on the second screen without needing a mouse.
3 Microsoft Outlook: Handles emails like a pro
Email feels less cramped and way more productive
While most of us rely on Gmail for email on Android — especially since it comes preinstalled and offers features like a categorized inbox and Google Gemini integration — one app I’ve grown to appreciate on foldables is Microsoft Outlook.
Outlook takes full advantage of the big screen by offering a dual-pane layout on foldables. You get your inbox on the left and the selected email’s content on the right, making the whole experience feel more desktop-like. The app also offers great calendar integration that lets you manage your schedule easily, but it even lets you add calendars for your favorite sports teams.
Like Gmail, Outlook supports all major email providers, including Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and IMAP accounts. You can even customize the app’s theme to suit your personal style. While Gmail has started testing a dual-pane UI for foldables, I haven’t seen it live on any of my devices yet. Outlook, on the other hand, offers it right out of the box.
2 Canva: Perfect for quick edits on a foldable
Editing visuals is easier on a bigger canvas
Canva is already one of the best apps for content creators, but on foldables, it’s even better. The app is fully optimized for the large inner display, giving you a big, flexible canvas to work with, all in a form factor you can close and carry in your pocket.
Canva scales beautifully to the foldable’s screen size and orientation, and you can use nearly all the same tools available on the desktop version. It even supports drag and drop, so you can easily pull elements from your gallery directly into the app without digging through file pickers.
All the AI-powered features — as long as you’re on the paid plan — work just as well here too. And on devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, it becomes even more useful thanks to stylus support, which makes working on designs even easier with precise input.
1 Evernote: Makes note-taking actually fun
Split-screen note-taking feels seamless
Evernote is one of the few note-taking apps on Android that truly takes advantage of large displays. On foldables, the app offers a two-pane layout, letting you view your list of notes on the left while editing a selected note on the right. This setup makes navigating and managing your notes much more efficient.
Of course, you can also open any note in fullscreen mode if you want to focus on writing. Just like the desktop version, the Android app allows you to organize your notes into categories as well. Moreover, the app supports a Sketch feature that lets you draw or annotate directly on the big screen.
However, one of Evernote’s best features, in my opinion, is its integration with Google Calendar, which lets you seamlessly link your notes with your schedule. While some advanced tools like AI Edit and AI-powered search are locked behind a paid plan, the free version of Evernote remains more than usable for me, and it’s easily the best note-taking app for foldables.
These apps make foldables more fun to use
Foldable phones haven’t fully taken off yet, and one major reason is the lack of app optimization. Not all apps are designed to take advantage of the larger foldable screens. However, the ones that are, like those mentioned above, offer a great experience that keeps me coming back to the foldable form factor.
Sure, there’s still work to be done to get more apps foldable-ready. But these well-optimized apps give me hope that foldables are heading in the right direction and could eventually become mainstream.
