The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has the same 3.4-inch cover screen as its predecessor, the Z Flip 5. On it, you can check and reply to notifications, take calls, control music, capture selfies, and access different widgets without opening your phone. However, to truly get the most out of it, you’ll want to run more apps on the cover screen. I’ve tested the phone extensively, and here are the best apps to use on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 cover screen.
If you have an older Flip like the Z Flip 5 or 4, don’t worry. Most of these apps will work on those phones too.
Table of Contents
1. Good Lock
On your Galaxy Z Flip 6, head over to Settings > Advanced features > Labs > Apps allowed on cover screen to let more apps run on that handy little cover screen. This opens up the cover screen to Maps, Messages, WhatsApp, and YouTube. But, if you want to go all out and use even more apps there, you’ll need to get into Good Lock modules.
In our previous article, I showed you how to essentially run any app on your Galaxy Z Flip 6’s cover display. It all revolves around using the MultiStar module to create a Good Lock launcher widget. Once added, you can access this widget with all your app icons by swiping left on the cover screen.
If you have a Z Flip 6 or even the older Flip 5, I highly recommend giving this a try. If Good Lock isn’t available in your region, you can download NiceLock or Fine Lock (from the Play Store) and manually sideload the MultiStar APK from the web.
Download: Good Lock
2. CoverScreen OS
Cover Screen OS is another app I mentioned earlier. It simulates a complete secondary OS on your phone’s outer display, with its own navigation system. It also lets you open any app on your phone directly from the cover screen. Simply swipe up, and that will open the app screen, just like on the inner display.
Swipe down on the center of the home screen to open media controls (for currently playing content), swipe down from the top to open the quick settings panel, swipe left to access notifications, and swipe right to check your widgets.
You can also explore other features like edge lighting, changing the app drawer grid size, and continuing to use the same apps on your main screen when you open the phone, but most of these are paid features. That said, you’ll likely be quite happy with what the free version offers.
Download: CoverScreen OS
3. SamSprung TooUI
SamsSprung TooUI is a third-party launcher for your Z Flip cover screen. It brings apps, notifications, widgets, quick toggles, voice-activated launch, animated wallpapers, and more to the outer display. Download it from Google Play, open it, and grant the necessary permissions. Then, close your Flip phone and tap the Power button.
You’ll see the app icon in the bottom right. Tap it to open a full app drawer. You’ll see the time in the bottom right and the battery percentage in the bottom left. There’s also a search bar to manually search for apps. Swipe left on the app drawer to see your notifications. Tap the quick settings tile at the bottom and you can turn on/off flashlight, portrait lock, toggle DND, sound, WiFi, and Bluetooth.
The interface will likely remind you of those early Android third-party launchers that tried to mimic a desktop-like UI on phones (think of the old Windows Start menu). While I’d still prefer Cover Screen OS app over this, remember it’s free and yet offers plenty of customization options like app grid size, wallpaper, and more. So try both and find out what matches your taste.
Download: SamSprung TooUI
4. Kindle
I enjoy reading physical books when I have the time, but when I’m traveling and need something to read, I usually turn to the Kindle app. And let me tell you, it works great on the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s cover screen.
You can easily read the text with a large font; usually, one or two paragraphs fit on the small screen, but the next one is just a swipe away. I personally love reading this way. That said, comic books don’t work as well because you have to zoom in on them, but books with text are perfect.
If you’re into ebooks, definitely give Kindle a try on your Galaxy Z Flip 6 or 5’s cover screen. And yes, you’ll have to use the Good Lock method to get it onto the cover display.
Download: Kindle
5. Shazam
Shazam helps you identify music playing around you. So if you like a song playing at a bar, club, or nearby, you can quickly open Shazam, and it will tell you the name of the song. It works well on your Galaxy Z Flip 6’s cover display too.
Just add the app to the Good Lock launcher or open it using Cover Screen OS and tap the Shazam button to start identifying music. You don’t have to flip open your phone for this. While you can also use the Pixel’s Now Playing mod for the same, it’s just easier this way.
Download: Shazam
6. Mini Games for Flip Screen
Okay, let’s circle back to Good Lock for a moment. It turns out Samsung has designed a few mini-games specifically for the Z Flip 6 and Flip 5’s cover screen, and you can access them using the MultiStar module.
Simply open MultiStar, tap on I Love Galaxy Foldable > Game Widget, and select all the games you’d like to play. Then, tap Enable Game Widget. Choose MultiStar from the list and add the Game Launcher widget to your home screen.
Now, close your phone and unlock the cover display. Swipe left until you see the game launcher widget. And there you have it! You’re now ready to play any of the following games right on your Galaxy Z Flip 6 or 5 cover screen:
- Stack Bounce
- Tiger Run
- Golf Adventures
- Retro Drift
- Cake Slice Ninja
- Carrom Clash
- Color Burst
- Daily Solitaire
- CubeTower
- Moving
- Northern Heights
- Pin the UFO
7. PizzaBoy Emulator
Your Flip 6’s outer display can also double as a mini retro gaming console. To play Game Boy games on your Flip, simply download an emulator and find ROM files (game files) to run on it. I’ll be using the free version of the PizzaBoy emulator, but you’re welcome to use any other compatible emulator. Just get an emulator that can run the games you want to play.
To get started:
- Download PizzaBoy emulator from Play Store onto your Galaxy Z Flip 6. (Add it to your Good Lock launcher so you can launch it from the cover screen).
- Download the ROM files for the games you want to play. Remember, PizzaBoy can play Game Boy Advance games, so I’ll be downloading those ROMs from the web (for example, Super Mario).
- Create a folder on your phone’s internal storage and move the ROMs there.
- Open the emulator and load the ROM file from the folder. The game should start.
By default, the game will open in a small window on your Flip 6’s cover screen. To enlarge it, tap the bottom left corner and use the on-screen buttons to resize it. You can also reposition the window anywhere on the screen. In fact, you can even play in landscape mode.
Download: PizzaBoy Emulator
Besides the apps I mentioned, there are plenty of other cool ways to use your Flip’s cover screen. You can control your smart home gadgets with Google Home or Samsung SmartThings, start navigation in Google Maps and save battery with the smaller display, play your favorite tunes on Spotify or YouTube Music, watch Netflix or YouTube videos on a mini-screen, scroll Reddit, and even check in on your security cameras at home or work. And of course, you can use WhatsApp or Messenger to quickly see and reply to messages without having to flip open your phone.
