Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: YouTuber shows how to use dual-display functionality to mimic Windows 11 and Windows Phone

The dreams of Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile are long gone, with Microsoft favouring Android for its return to smartphones. Arguably, foldable smartphones like the Surface Duo 2 would be good candidates for running Windows 11, as Gustave Monce and Simone Franco have shown with the original Surface Duo. Tangentially, YouTuber Mark Spurrell has adapted the Galaxy Z Fold4 to make it resemble a Windows-based device.

As the video below shows, Spurrell has used two launchers, one mimicking Windows Phone's tile-based UI on the cover display, and a second that resembles Windows 11 for the larger foldable display. Specifically, Spurrell has used Square Home for the former and Win-X Launcher for the latter, along with a Bixby Routine to switch between launchers when folding and unfolding the device. Fundamentally, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is still running Android though, unlike gaming handhelds that can run Android, Linux or Windows.

Purportedly, the dual-launcher setup works well, albeit with some caveats. For example, Spurrell notes that the Bixby Routine can take a moment to run, leaving Square Home briefly running on the foldable display rather than Win-X Launcher before the routine kicks in. Additionally, swiping home on the cover display returns to the Win-X Launcher, not Square Home. These two launchers are not the only options for bringing a Windows experience to Android smartphones, mind you.

Launcher 10 is a well-known alternative, although it does not rate as highly in the Google Play Store. You can find out more details about trying this setup yourself in the video below. As far as we can tell, every foldable smartphone with two displays should be capable of using this solution, but Samsung Routines may be more user-friendly than Tasker, an equivalent for non-Samsung devices.

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