What you need to know
- A YouTuber managed to turn his Galaxy Z Fold 4 into a Windows Phone.
- He used a combination of two Android launchers and Bixby Routines to make it work.
- The process isn’t perfect, but it appears to work surprisingly well, considering.
Samsung’s latest foldables smartphones are finally available, and while they’ve only just hit store shelves, some users are finding some exciting ways to customize their experience. For example, one Galaxy Z Fold 4 owner has managed to transform his device into a Windows Phone.
YouTuber Mark Spurrell takes us through the process of getting his new Galaxy Z Fold 4 to look like a Windows Phone on the outside and a full Windows PC on the inner display. It may seem like a complicated process, but according to Spurrell, it requires just two Android launchers and tweaking some Bixby Routines to turn one of the best foldable phones into a blast from the past.
The result is a folding phone that features the all-too-familiar Windows Phone tiles when closed. They’re fairly customizable, as Spurrell demonstrates, moving and resizing tiles and even changing icons to match what you’d normally see on a Windows Phone. Spurrell is even able to customize useful gestures for quick access to functions like the camera.
On the inside, the experience is completely different. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 opens to w Windows 10-like desktop, complete with shortcuts and a start menu that lists all your apps. On the bottom left corner is where you’ll find widgets for the clock and calendar, a collapsable quick settings shortcut, and a full panel for settings and notifications that effectively replaces the pull-down notification shade.
Spurrell notes that the process isn’t perfect, particularly due to the phone constantly switching between launchers. However, he says it’s not as wonky as he expected it would be, and overall he’s pretty impressed with the experience.
You can check out the full video above to find out how he turned his Galaxy Z Fold 4 into a Windows Phone and relive the good ol’ days. Who knows, maybe Microsoft will be inspired for its Surface Duo 2 successor. Or not.
Meanwhile, you can check out some awesome Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals in case you’re interested in buying Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is Samsung’s latest foldable phone sporting an improved design, better cameras, and a faster chipset. Thanks to the folding design, users have plenty of ways to take advantage of the internal and external displays.