Microsoft wants to use Fluent UI for Surface Duo to help developers create dual-screen apps. As a result, Microsoft has announced its first release of Fluent UI Android controls for Surface Duo. Microsoft has announced nine Fluent UI controls for dual-screen devices.
New controls of Fluent UI for Surface Duo
Fluent UI allows developers to create cross-platform apps that share common resources, including code, design, and interaction behavior, for a consistent experience across platforms. Microsoft builds Fluent UI’s Android controls with Kotlin, and are compatible with Java.
Microsoft has also optimized the Fluent UI sample app available on GitHub for dual-screen devices. Microsoft has optimized nine Fluent UI controls for dual-screen devices:
| Control | Description |
| AppBarLayout | Search input box does not extend under the hinge |
| BottomSheet | Always appears on the right screen, and never under the hinge |
| CalendarView | Can be spanned under hinge and day columns adjust |
| Drawer | Drawer appears on a single screen |
| PeoplePickerView | Persona chips will avoid being placed under the hinge |
| DateTimePicker | Popups will not appear under the hinge |
| PopupMenu | Menus will avoid appearing under the hinge |
| Snackbar | The snackbar will only show on a single screen, and not appear spanned under the hinge |
| Tooltip | Tooltips avoid appearing under the hinge |
“The sample itself is contained in a dual-screen enhanced AppBarLayout control, which is declared in the activity_demo_list.xml layout,” Microsoft said. “The key enhancement of the AppBarLayout is that the search input box does not display under the hinge.”
Fluent UI’s Android controls use Snackbars to inform the user or get their (optional) input. DateTimePicker control shows a popup date and time picker on a single screen but later shifts to the right as you span the app. Many other Fluent UI Android controls are out there.
Earlier, Microsoft started optimizing your web browsing experience on dual-screen devices. Edge Chromium new supports new Web APIs for dual-screen devices. Microsoft Surface Duo kernel code is now available on GitHub. As a result, third-party developers can create custom ROMs for Surface Duo.
