The iPhone Duo has drawn widespread praise for its dissolving transition animation, a feature that has now been recreated on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. When the foldable is opened or closed, the wallpaper and the content on the cover screen dissolve, creating the illusion that the material has passed through the moving screen and reappeared on the internal display.
The effect was designed to make the shift between the smaller external cover display and the larger internal screen feel connected rather than jarring. Rather than an abrupt jump, the animation guides the eye across both panels, reinforcing a sense of continuity as the device changes form.
How the animation reached the Galaxy Z Fold 8
A developer using the username moomanjohnny posted a video demonstrating the iPhone Duo animation running on a Galaxy Z Fold 8. He described the work as a proof of concept app, adding that he had made progress towards building a launcher capable of delivering the animation. A separate clip shared on X showed a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 running the transition effect.
Discussion around the project raised the possibility of the transition animation being included with the Good Lock app, the customisation tool available to Samsung users. For now, the recreation remains an early demonstration rather than a finished product.
Apple’s attention to small details
The iPhone Duo animation follows a pattern of small touches associated with the iPhone. Among the best known is the rubber band effect, which allows the screen to bounce back once a user scrolls past the bottom of a page.
iOS 26 introduced an app icon bounce. When an iPhone is unlocked, the app icons fly towards their final positions, overshoot the target, and are then settled back into place by virtual damping to produce the signature bounce. Because objects with mass and velocity do not come to an instantaneous stop in the physical world, applying that motion to the icons encourages the brain to perceive them as having weight and texture.
Reaction to these details is mixed. Some users pay little attention to features such as rubber-banding or the app icons bouncing when an app closes or the phone is unlocked. Others regard them as refinements that improve the overall look of the iPhone and help maintain customer loyalty from one year to the next.
The recreation of the transition effect on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 currently exists as a proof of concept, with a launcher still in development.
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Image: phonearena.com
