Galaxy Z Flip users may soon be able to add YouTube Music’s Now Playing widget to their foldable phones’ cover screens. Google is working on this new widget for the tiny external screens on clamshell folding smartphones. Samsung’s Z Flip series should be among the first to get this feature, though no release timeline is available yet.
Google readies YouTube Music’s Now Playing widget for flip foldables
Samsung lets Galaxy Z Flip users interact with certain features even when the phone is folded. The cover screen (Flex Window in Samsung’s language) supports a wide range of widgets and apps so you don’t have to unfold the device every time. A new YouTube Music widget may soon join this lineup, a recent discovery by Android Authority suggests.
The publication scanned the YouTube Music app’s latest version for Android (7.24.51) to find hidden code strings pointing to an unreleased feature. The strings hint at a potential widget for the Galaxy Z Flip cover screen. Evidence suggests Google is following Samsung’s guidelines for creating widgets for the Flex Window on the Galaxy Z Flip.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Google will offer YouTube Music’s Now Playing widget only on Samsung foldables. Other flip-style foldables should also support the new widget as long as they support widgets on the cover screen. It offers easy music controls without unfolding the device. The new widget should look identical to the existing homescreen widget.
Unfortunately, we do not have much information to share at the moment. Once launched, Galaxy Z Flip users can enable the YouTube Music widget by navigating to Settings > Cover Screen > Widgets. You may need to update the app to get the new widget, so keep checking for a new version in the Play Store. We will let you know when the rollout begins widely.
