The 10 best apps for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Upgrading to a new handset is an exciting feeling. Especially when it’s something with a lot of screen real estate. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 is among the best foldable phones. It has an upgraded Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and the slimmer design fits in a pocket while still giving you a 7.6-inch wide main screen.

This gorgeous handset needs appropriate protection. But just as your new Galaxy Z Fold 5 needs a shiny new case, it needs apps that justify its horsepower. In the sections below, we hand-picked ten apps that’ll make your experience much better.

1 Good Lock

An essential app for any Samsung phone, much less a foldable, Good Lock is a favorite of power users everywhere. It’s hard to sum up what this app can do through its modules. The results are endless, from Theme Park’s powerful theming engine that makes Material You look like a kindergartner’s coloring book to Pentastic for changing actions on the S Pen to LockStar’s endlessly personalizable lock screen.

Unlike on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 — where Good Lock is mandatory to run third-party apps on the Flex Window — not every user needs this app. If you miss the days of deep Android customization, it’s a satisfying app worth trying out.

Good Lock isn’t available on the Google Play Store. You can grab it by visiting the Galaxy Store, which comes preinstalled on your smartphone.

2 Gboard

As a Galaxy Z Fold 5 user, you don’t have to use Samsung’s keyboard. Swap to Gboard, our favorite keyboard on the Play Store. Google’s standard typing experience for Android is excellent, with support for customization through themes and Material You colors. It even has a split keyboard option, though you might be able to type faster with it turned off. If you spend all day firing off emails or writing long tirades on Reddit, Gboard is a must-have.

3 Vampire Survivors

The mobile gaming scene can seem dire. You’re bound to find some diamonds in the rough, but exploring the Play Store for something new to play can feel like browsing through one microtransaction-filled gambling simulator after another.

Instead of pouring countless bucks into a never-ending gacha game, try one of the hottest and cheapest games to arrive on the gaming scene in the last couple of years. Bonus: It’s also sort of a gambling simulator.

Vampire Survivors is a roguelike available for free with ads on the Play Store, with the option to upgrade to an ad-free version for a few bucks. It’s some of the most fun we’ve had in the genre in years, essentially flipping bullet hells on their head to let you become the bullet. Pick a character, power up your abilities, and upgrade your skills between runs to try to last thirty minutes or longer. Every time this game arrives on a new platform, another AP writer falls in love with it. And with Z Fold 5’s massive screen, it’s our pick for a must-have game for your foldable.

4 Backdrops

Sporting a cute or colorful background on your phone has always been essential. And unlike on iOS, it’s an option that’s been there since day one. Material You’s dynamic themes mean every aspect of your phone is coated in colors pulled from your wallpaper. If you’d rather use a fresh art piece rather than a still photograph, Backdrops is the app for you.

With an expansive UI optimized for larger screens and endless options for creative, exclusive backgrounds, Backdrops is the app to beat on the Play Store. Whether you’re looking for a basic design to adorn your lock screen or something as colorful as your personality, it’s worth keeping around when you feel like shaking up your smartphone.

5 Niagara Launcher

One UI’s stock launcher is solid, but if you’re looking for a fresh take on how your home screen looks and feels, Niagara Launcher is worth your time. Unlike most apps on this list, Niagara is best on the Z Fold 5’s outer screen.

With its ultra-tall aspect ratio, Niagara’s easy-scroll list feels right at home on the 6.2-inch cover display, allowing you to quickly find the app you’re searching for without feeling restricted to a compressed home screen.

That’s not to say it doesn’t work well on the inner screen. Open up the device, and you’ll find your lineup of favorite apps followed by everything else alphabetically sorted, just like on the cover screen. It’s a good way of meshing the two experiences closer together. Niagara isn’t for everyone, but if you want to try a fresh experience on your Z Fold 5, try it out.

6 Evernote

There isn’t a shortage of note-taking apps perfect for the foldable lifestyle, but Evernote remains an essential tool. Some might balk at the limitations of its free plan. If you’re willing to pay, you can practically plan your entire life with Evernote.

There’s a lot to love with to-do lists, web clips, images, documents, notebooks, and a scratch pad for quick entries. What’s better is its foldable-optimized layout. With the controls on your left and an open space for managing your content, it’s as impressive as they come.

7 DraStic

Thanks to its expansive 7.6-inch display, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a godsend for emulators of all shapes and sizes, and DraStic remains one of the most impressive you’ll find on the Play Store. A perfect way to play through your collection of dumped DS cartridges, DraStic allows you to turn the Z Fold 5 into an all-touch Nintendo DS, pairing its dual displays with virtual controls on the left and right.

DraStic includes an assortment of emulation-powered tricks, such as upscaling visuals, save states, and configurable controls. It’s an excellent way to turn your Galaxy Z Fold 5 into the portable game console you always dreamed of owning. Combining it with an S Pen makes even stylus-focused games easily accessible.

8 Apple Music

Unlike YouTube Music and Spotify, we think Apple crushed its big-screen layout. You have a larger space for browsing content than you would otherwise, while the tabs and Now Playing UI are moved to the bottom of the screen. Plus, the Now Playing page isn’t a full-screen option. It’s limited to a pop-up panel that gets out of the way when you don’t need it.

It comes down to personal preference, but we think this is a better look for a music app on a foldable than the blown-up UI elements seen on apps like Spotify. The biggest downside to Apple Music is its inability to swap between the main and front screens without a full reset. If you can deal with how frustrating that experience is, we think Apple nailed it.

9 Lightroom

If you’re looking to edit your collection of photos on the go, there’s no beating Lightroom. With much of the power of the desktop tool translated to mobile, this is an essential app worthy of your time. Whether applying automatic fixes to an image or perfecting the exposure, saturation levels, and white balance, editing photos on the go has never been as easy as it is on Samsung’s expansive Galaxy Z Fold 5 display.

If you’re new to the app, learning every aspect of Lightroom might feel overwhelming. It’s also best paired with one of Adobe’s subscriptions, or your overall experience might be limited. If you’re used to editing on a full-fledged PC, try Lightroom’s Android app on your foldable.

10 Kindle

The size and shape of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 make it ideal as an e-reader replacement. While it doesn’t come close to replacing an E Ink screen, it’s a serviceable alternative.

There’s no shortage of e-reader apps on the Play Store, but we keep returning to Kindle. It’s not so much that the app does anything better than its alternatives. Instead, it’s because Kindle syncs between devices. Reading through Amazon’s app and buying through its marketplace is the easiest way to tackle your book collection.

Maximize your pocket PC

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is more than your typical smartphone. Still, the world’s largest screen can only do so much without the right software. Just ask the last decade of Android tablets. With these ten apps, you’re off to a great start in getting the most out of your latest investment. Your next task is to decide which Android apps to download next.