Samsung Galaxy Fold Hidden Features You Should Know

A Samsung Galaxy Z Fold has several useful features that are easy to miss because they are tucked inside One UI rather than presented as headline specifications. The most valuable include instant App Pairs, advanced Multi window gestures, customizable Edge panels, experimental Labs controls, AI Select, drag-and-drop workflows and the ability to move naturally between the cover and main displays. On the current Galaxy Z Fold8, One UI 9 adds further large-screen features such as Now Nudge and expanded AI-assisted multitasking.

The important point is that these features are not equally useful. Some can save seconds every day; others are experimental or depend on particular apps, software versions or markets. The best Fold setup therefore comes from learning the shortcuts that change how you use the two screens, rather than turning on every hidden setting simply because it exists.

1. Turn recurring app combinations into one tap

One of the easiest Fold features to overlook is the ability to save applications as an App Pair.

Suppose you regularly use:

• Browser + Samsung Notes
• Email + Calendar
• Messages + Maps
• Files + Email
• Camera + Gallery

Instead of opening both applications and arranging them manually, create an App Pair. Samsung supports App Pairs through the Edge panel and Taskbar, and current Fold models can support three-app App Pairs.

This is more useful than it sounds.

If you perform the same two- or three-app workflow repeatedly, the saved pair effectively becomes a shortcut to an entire workspace rather than a shortcut to a single application.

How to create one

Open the applications in Multi window, tap the divider between them and select the App Pair option. You can then save the pair to the Taskbar or another supported location.

The important trick is to save workflows, not random combinations.

2. Use the Taskbar as your Fold command center

The Taskbar is easy to ignore because it looks like a normal row of application icons.

On Fold models, however, Samsung’s current Taskbar supports eight slots: six selected applications and two recent apps. You can drag applications from it directly into different parts of the main display to create Multi window layouts.

That makes it considerably more powerful than a conventional app dock.

For example, keep your browser, email, Notes, Files, Calendar and Messages readily available.

Then, when reading an email that requires research, drag the browser onto the screen instead of leaving the message and searching for it.

The Taskbar becomes particularly valuable once you stop thinking of it as an app launcher and start treating it as a workspace switcher.

3. Drag apps from the edge instead of navigating menus

Samsung’s Apps Edge panel provides another shortcut to Multi window.

Swipe from the Edge panel handle, then drag an application onto the appropriate area of the main display. You can position applications for split-screen or pop-up use.

The advantage is speed.

You do not have to open the app drawer, find an application, launch it, open Recents and then arrange the windows.

For people who frequently multitask, this can become muscle memory.

4. Make the Edge panel work for you

The Edge panel is more than a drawer for favorite apps.

Samsung lets you add and remove different panels, customize the Apps Edge contents and change the handle’s position, size, transparency and other characteristics.

You can therefore turn it into a personalized shortcut system.

Keep the applications and tools you repeatedly need there, and remove everything else.

You can also move the handle to the opposite side of the screen if that makes one-handed access easier.

One important warning

Do not fill the Edge panel simply because Samsung lets you.

Too many shortcuts defeat the point of having a fast-access system.

5. Try two-finger gestures for Multi window

Samsung supports gesture-based methods for launching Multi window on compatible Fold software.

Its current support documentation describes two-finger swipes from the bottom for split-screen and corner swipes for pop-up view when the relevant Multi window gesture options are enabled.

This is particularly useful if you regularly move from a single application into a two-app workflow.

The first few attempts can feel unnatural. Give the gesture a little time before deciding whether it is useful.

6. Use pop-up windows for temporary tasks

Not every second application deserves half the screen.

That is where pop-up view becomes useful.

You can shrink a compatible application into a floating window and move it around the main display. Samsung supports opening applications in pop-up view from the Taskbar, Edge panel or Recents.

Imagine you are reading a document but need a calculator.

A full split screen wastes space.

A floating calculator is enough.

The same principle works for a quick message, reference page or other secondary task.

7. Drag information between applications

The Fold’s large screen makes drag-and-drop considerably more practical.

Samsung supports moving information between compatible applications while using Multi window. The company’s current One UI guidance also highlights dragging AI-generated text and images directly into workflows on large Galaxy displays.

A simple example:

Open an image in Gallery on one side and a message or document on the other. Where supported, you can drag the content rather than repeatedly copying, navigating and pasting.

The exact behavior depends on the applications involved, so treat drag-and-drop as a capability to test rather than something every app must support.

8. Make three-app layouts work for complicated tasks

Current Fold models can support three-app App Pairs, giving the main display a more desktop-like workflow.

For example:

Calendar + Email + Notes

You could check an appointment, reference the email that prompted it and record information without constantly switching screens.

But three applications should have a reason to coexist.

If all three demand your attention, the layout can become cluttered rather than productive.

A useful rule is:

Two apps for comparison. Three for coordination.

9. Explore Labs—but treat it as experimental

Samsung hides experimental foldable features under Settings → Advanced features → Labs.

One example is Multi window for all apps, which attempts to let applications use pop-up or split-screen layouts even when the developer did not design them specifically for those modes.

This is exactly the sort of setting that qualifies as a hidden feature—but it comes with a warning.

Samsung explicitly describes Labs functions as experimental and says they may not work as expected or may not be available on every Fold model.

Use Labs when you want to experiment, not when you need a mission-critical application to behave perfectly.

10. Use AI Select to capture part of the screen

On supported One UI 8 devices, AI Select can identify and isolate content on the screen.

Samsung describes it as allowing users to draw around an area or tap an onscreen object, after which the selected content can be manipulated. It can be accessed through the Edge Panel or S Pen on supported devices.

This can be useful when you do not want to capture an entire screen.

For example, you might isolate an image, piece of text or other visible element and then use it as the starting point for another action.

The larger Fold display makes this particularly interesting because there is more information on screen to select from.

11. Circle to Search can translate what is actually on your screen

Circle to Search is more versatile than simply identifying products or objects.

Samsung’s One UI 8 documentation describes on-screen translation capabilities that can translate text as you scroll through content. It can also provide related search results and, in supported contexts, gaming information.

That makes it useful when you encounter information inside an application rather than on a conventional webpage.

Instead of copying text, leaving the current screen and opening a translation tool, you can work directly from the content you are viewing.

Availability and behavior can vary by device, software and language.

12. Let AI results appear without completely losing the original screen

One UI 8 introduced an important design change for AI features on larger Galaxy displays.

Samsung says AI Results View can place results in a separate Split View or Floating View, allowing the original content to remain visible.

This matters because one of the biggest problems with phone-based AI is context switching.

If you ask an AI tool to rewrite something, summarize information or generate content, you still need the original material.

Keeping both visible makes the AI result easier to inspect and use.

13. Try Now Nudge if you have a current Fold8

The Galaxy Z Fold8 introduces Now Nudge, which Samsung describes as a contextual feature that recognizes what is happening on screen and suggests a possible next action.

For example, a conversation about an upcoming event can produce a suggestion to open Calendar. On the main screen, Samsung says a Now Nudge action can move into a split-view workflow rather than simply replacing the current application.

This is a particularly Fold-specific idea because the larger screen gives the suggested action somewhere to live alongside the original conversation.

The feature is also a good example of why current Fold owners should distinguish between Samsung’s different generations. Software capabilities can change substantially between One UI releases.

14. Do not rely on old Flex Mode tutorials

This is one of the most important “hidden” lessons for Fold owners.

Older Galaxy Fold generations supported various Flex Mode workflows when the phone was partially folded. But Samsung’s current documentation states that Flex Mode is not available on the Galaxy Z Fold8.

That means a tutorial showing a particular Flex Mode trick may be perfectly accurate for an older Fold but irrelevant to a Fold8.

Before following an online tip, check:

• Fold generation
• One UI version
• App version
• Region
• Whether the feature is still supported

Samsung’s software evolves quickly enough that old Fold advice can become misleading.

15. Use the cover screen as a quick-action surface

The Fold does not require you to unfold it every time you receive a notification or need to perform a short task.

Samsung’s foldable software is designed to allow supported applications to work across the cover and main displays.

A useful habit is:

Cover screen: quick interaction.

Main screen: information-heavy interaction.

If you only need to answer a short message, keep the phone closed.

If the conversation turns into research, planning or document work, unfold it.

That simple distinction can make the Fold feel considerably less cumbersome.

16. Use the large display for AI-assisted multitasking

The Fold’s large display becomes especially interesting when AI output can move directly into another application.

Samsung says One UI 8’s large-screen optimization allows AI-generated text and images to be dragged into Multi window workflows.

That creates a workflow such as:

AI tool → generated text → Notes

or:

AI image tool → generated image → message or document

The advantage is not merely that AI can generate something. The advantage is that the Fold gives you enough screen space to keep the source, generated result and destination visible.

17. Customize the Edge handle instead of hiding it

Some Fold owners disable the Edge panel because its handle feels intrusive.

Before doing that, try customizing it.

Samsung lets you change its position, size, transparency and other handle characteristics.

A smaller, more transparent handle placed where your thumb naturally reaches can preserve the feature without making it visually distracting.

If you genuinely never use it, you can disable Edge panels completely under the Display settings.

18. Use app notifications as multitasking shortcuts

Samsung’s Multi window system can also use notifications as a starting point for multitasking. Its current documentation lists dragging apps from notifications as one of the available ways to create a Multi window workflow.

This is particularly useful when the notification itself tells you what task needs attention.

Rather than opening the application full-screen and then reconstructing your workspace, you can use the notification as the starting point.

It is a small shortcut, but power-user workflows are often built from small shortcuts.

19. Build a personal Fold workflow

The most valuable hidden feature is ultimately the ability to combine several ordinary features.

Consider a research workflow:

Browser → Samsung Notes → AI tool

Or a travel workflow:

Maps → Messages → Calendar

Or a work workflow:

Email → Files → Notes

Save the combinations you repeat.

Put them on the Taskbar.

Use gestures to create temporary windows.

Use the cover display for quick interactions.

Use the main display when the task becomes complex.

That is where the Fold’s design begins to matter more than individual features.

Which hidden features are actually worth learning?

The hidden features are really about reducing friction

The Galaxy Fold’s less obvious capabilities are most useful when they remove a repeated action.

App Pairs remove repeated setup. Taskbar removes app hunting. Multi window removes constant switching. Pop-up view removes unnecessary full-screen changes. AI Select removes manual selection steps. Circle to Search removes some copy-and-paste and app switching. And the larger display gives all of these features enough space to work naturally.

That is the real distinction between knowing a Fold has hidden features and actually becoming a power user. You do not need to memorize every Samsung shortcut. Start with the tasks you perform repeatedly, then build a shortcut around each one.

For a current Fold8, the combination of One UI 9’s large-screen design, Multi window, App Pairs and newer contextual AI features makes the device increasingly capable of adapting the interface around what you are doing.

The most useful hidden feature, in other words, is not a particular setting buried in a menu. It is the ability to turn the Fold’s two displays into a workflow rather than treating the device as an ordinary phone that happens to open.