What you need to know
- Mishaal Rahman, an employee of Google’s Community engagement for Android, teased Android 17’s upcoming foldable gaming mode.
- This gaming mode would split a foldable’s screen during gameplay, featuring the game at the top half and a virtual gamepad below that.
- It’s a full gamepad, featuring all the buttons you’d expect from a PlayStation or Nintendo controller, and users will be able to customize it.
- Rahman says this gaming mode is targeting a “platform release in the coming months.”
A Google member has posted a generous early look at what’s coming up for Android 17 and gaming for foldables.
On the Android Gaming subreddit, Mishaal Rahman, working for the community engagement side of Android at Google, posted a glimpse at Android 17’s “foldable gaming mode.” Rahman leads off by stating, “While touch controls work incredibly well for many titles, certain games are better enjoyed with physical gamepads.” To solve this, Google is working on a gaming mode for these unique phones that splits their screen.
The top half would host your game, leaving the bottom half with a true (touch-based) gamepad experience. Rahman says the gaming portion of the screen will remain “unobstructed.” To enable this, Google says users need only unfold their phone before or after launching a compatible game.
Another issue that Google sought to solve was users needing to carry a controller. While Android works well with physical controllers, traveling can be a burden. This foldable gaming mode is focused on games that support physical controllers. Rahman adds that devs don’t have to change much for this virtual gamepad to appear; however, split-screen support is where their focus should be.
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The gamepads look familiar. If you were to compare it to Xbox or Nintendo controls, you’d feel right at home. Google worked in X, Y, A, and B buttons, alongside L1, L2, R1, and R2. Of course, users will find analog sticks for movement and a D-pad for their arrows. Android 17 will let foldable users customize their virtual gamepad’s layout. You can have the sticks together in the middle, more like a PlayStation 5 controller, or staggered, similar to a Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox controller.
What’s more, users will be able to increase or decrease the size of their gamepad. Haptic feedback is another addition, teased as a toggleable option. Some Android games already have haptics. This might be an obscure or off-the-wall reference, but if you’ve played Pokémon TCG Pocket, you’d know.
Rahman says, “Foldable gaming mode is part of the Android 17 platform release and will be available in the coming months.”
Onward, Android 17
Android 17 launched in mid-June after some rapid testing by Google over the past few months. This year’s OS upgrade isn’t quite as flashy as we’ve seen before, but it’s effective for detecting threats and scams. What’s more, the OS brings a few key features, such as Bubbles. This is a new way for users to multitask between apps on their device in a floating menu. While many users with slab phones (think Galaxy S25, Pixel 10) might not see much of a use for it, Bubbles truly targets large-screen devices (foldables).
Rahman teases this foldable gaming mode for a future platform release “in the coming months,” and we can’t help but look at Android 17’s first drop. Right now, Google is engaged in QPR1 Beta 5 after rolling it out to Pixel users last week. The latest beta was pretty large, bringing fixes for vanishing widgets, Game Dashboard, and Pixel cameras.
Android Central’s Take
Do I have to say much here? I think we all know that I really like what Google’s teased for foldables. I might have to get myself one (pray for my wallet). Gaming on foldables hasn’t been bad, but this change would make it better. I can see this useful for games that would truly benefit from a virtual gamepad. Think Wuthering Waves or Zenless Zone Zero. Quick button inputs, rapid movements. A lot of people game on their phones, and making foldables better at that would make them a little more appealing (at least for me).
