What you need to know
- The Gmail app for Android has been optimized for the Surface Duo and can now span across both displays of the foldable.
- The app shows all of your emails on the left screen and a specific email on the right screen.
Microsoft Surface Duo owners have a newly optimized app to use on their foldable. The Gmail app for Android can now span across both displays of the Surface Duo, taking advantage of the extra screen real estate provided by the unique device. First spotted by Reddit user Path_Fantastic, a recent update to the Gmail app added the functionality.
According to comments on that Reddit post, the update brings Gmail to version 2022.07.24.464902190.Release. Some users haven't seen the update yet, so it may take a bit to make its way to all Surface Duo devices. Based on what people have shared on Reddit, the spanning seems to work well on the Surface Duo 2 and the original Surface Duo.
When spanned, Gmail shows a list of emails on the left screen and a selected email on the right screen. Outlook on the Surface Duo works the same way, so the interface should be familiar for Duo owners.
With dual-screen devices and foldables becoming more popular, the Surface Duo line could see a wave of optimized apps. Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold 4 last week, and Android 12L is on the way from Google as well. While slab-style phones aren't going anywhere, foldables are trending upward, which should mean good news for the Duo.
