The cover screen is what truly sets modern flip phones apart from traditional smartphones. This external display lets you check notifications, respond to messages, control music, take photos, and even run full apps—all without opening your phone. Mastering your cover screen transforms how you interact with your device, making quick tasks faster and reducing overall screen time.
Whether you have a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip with its compact cover display or a Motorola Razr+ with its expansive external screen, this guide will help you unlock the full potential of your flip phone's second screen.
Understanding Cover Screen Capabilities
Cover screen functionality varies significantly between devices. Recent models offer increasingly capable external displays, while earlier generations had more limited screens. Let's establish what your cover screen can likely do.
Basic Functions (All Modern Flip Phones)
- Display time, date, and battery status
- Show incoming notifications
- Preview caller ID for incoming calls
- Control music playback
- Serve as a camera viewfinder
Advanced Functions (Larger Cover Screens)
- Reply to messages with full keyboard
- Run supported apps (maps, timers, weather, etc.)
- Access quick settings
- Make calls without opening the phone
- Browse and interact with content
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: 3.4-inch Super AMOLED
Motorola Razr+ 2026: 4.0-inch pOLED
OPPO Find N5 Flip: 3.6-inch AMOLED
Larger screens enable more functionality without opening your phone.
Customising Your Cover Screen
Clock Faces and Styles
The clock face is what you'll see most often, so choose one that suits your style and shows the information you need. Most flip phones offer dozens of clock face options, from minimal analog designs to information-rich digital displays showing weather, battery, and step counts.
To change your clock face on Samsung devices, double-tap the cover screen, then press and hold to access customisation options. On Motorola, swipe up on the cover screen and navigate to settings. Explore the options—you might be surprised how much variety is available.
Widgets and Quick Access
Beyond the clock, you can add widgets for quick access to information and functions. Popular widget choices include:
- Weather: See current conditions and forecasts at a glance
- Calendar: View today's upcoming events
- Music controls: Play, pause, skip tracks, and adjust volume
- Timer/Stopwatch: Useful for cooking, workouts, and more
- Quick contacts: Call or message favourite contacts instantly
- Steps and fitness: Track daily activity without opening your phone
Arrange your widgets in order of usefulness. Most cover screens let you swipe between multiple widget pages, so put your most-used widgets on the first page for fastest access.
Managing Notifications
Viewing and Responding
When a notification arrives, you'll see it on your cover screen along with a preview of the message content (if enabled). The real power comes from being able to respond without opening your phone.
On devices with larger cover screens (like the Motorola Razr+ or later Samsung Z Flip models), you can tap on a notification to expand it and access quick reply options. Type your response using the cover screen keyboard, or use voice input for longer messages.
For phones with smaller cover screens, you might be limited to viewing notifications and selecting from canned quick responses. Customise these preset replies in your notification settings to include phrases you actually use.
Set up custom quick replies that match your communication style. Useful options include "In a meeting, will call later," "On my way," "Running 10 minutes late," and "Can't talk now, what's up?" These let you respond meaningfully without typing.
Notification Settings to Consider
Fine-tune which notifications appear on your cover screen. You probably want messages from close contacts and important apps, but you might not need every social media like or promotional email lighting up your external display.
Adjust notification settings per app: go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications and review each app's settings. You can allow some apps to show on the cover screen while keeping others silent until you open your phone.
Photography with the Cover Screen
One of the best features of flip phones is using the cover display as a viewfinder for the rear cameras—which are typically much better than front cameras. This gives you flagship-quality selfies and enables unique photography possibilities.
Taking Selfies and Group Photos
To use the cover screen for selfies, double-tap the power button (or use your phone's camera shortcut) to open the camera, then tap the preview on your main screen to transfer the viewfinder to the cover display. Now you can see yourself on the cover screen while using the main cameras.
For group photos, this is incredibly useful. Everyone can see themselves in the frame, making it easy to position the group and capture the perfect shot without multiple attempts.
FlexCam and Hands-Free Photography
The cover screen combined with your flip phone's ability to stand partially open creates a natural tripod for hands-free photography. Set your phone at an angle, compose your shot using the cover display, and use the timer or voice command to take the photo.
This is perfect for:
- Time-lapse videos of cooking, crafting, or scenery
- Stable low-light photos without blur
- Video calls where you need both hands free
- Recording exercise form to check your technique
- Group selfies without awkwardly holding the phone at arm's length
The cover screen viewfinder gives you access to your phone's main camera system for selfies. This typically means better low-light performance, higher resolution, and more advanced features like optical image stabilisation compared to the internal selfie camera.
Running Apps on the Cover Screen
Modern flip phones with larger cover screens can run many apps without opening the phone. This capability varies by manufacturer and model, so explore what's possible on your specific device.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Samsung's cover screen supports selected widgets and apps. Go to Settings > Cover screen to customise which apps appear. Many popular apps have cover screen optimised versions, and you can add more through Samsung's widget gallery.
Third-party launchers like Good Lock's MultiStar module can expand cover screen capabilities, allowing you to run more apps on the external display. This is a popular modification among enthusiast users.
Motorola Razr+
Motorola's larger cover screen is designed to run virtually any app. You can access a full app drawer from the cover screen, open any installed app, and use it in the compact external display format. The experience varies—some apps work brilliantly, while others weren't designed for the unique aspect ratio.
Particularly useful apps for the Motorola cover screen include maps for navigation, Spotify for music control, messaging apps for quick conversations, and productivity apps like timers and notes.
Best Practices for Cover Screen Apps
- Use cover screen apps for quick tasks, not extended sessions—that's what the main screen is for
- Prioritise apps that benefit from glanceable information (weather, calendar, fitness)
- Test apps before relying on them—not all work perfectly on smaller screens
- Consider battery impact—running apps on the cover screen uses power
Optimising Cover Screen Battery Usage
The cover screen can impact battery life, especially if you check it frequently or run always-on features. Here's how to balance functionality with power consumption.
Always-On Display Settings
Most flip phones offer always-on options for the cover screen. Consider these settings:
- Always on: Maximum convenience but highest battery impact
- Tap to wake: Good balance—screen activates only when you need it
- Scheduled: Always-on during certain hours (like work hours) and off otherwise
- Off: Best for battery but requires button press or gesture to see the screen
Limiting Cover Screen Activity
If battery life is a concern, reduce what the cover screen does. Disable or limit widgets that update frequently (like weather refreshing every hour). Use simpler clock faces rather than animated or information-heavy designs. Reduce the number of apps that can wake the cover screen with notifications.
Building Better Habits with the Cover Screen
The cover screen can genuinely help reduce screen time and create healthier phone habits—but only if you use it intentionally.
The Natural Barrier Effect
Having to physically open your phone creates a small barrier that interrupts mindless scrolling. The cover screen lets you handle quick tasks—checking a notification, responding to a message, changing a song—without entering the full smartphone experience where you might lose 20 minutes to social media.
Embrace this friction. When a notification arrives, ask yourself: "Can I handle this on the cover screen, or do I really need to open my phone?" Often, a quick reply or simple acknowledgment is enough.
Setting Boundaries
Use the cover screen as your phone's "public face." Handle quick interactions externally and reserve opening the phone for tasks that genuinely require the full screen. This mental model helps maintain awareness of your phone usage.
Some users report that their flip phone habit has naturally reduced their screen time by 30 minutes or more daily, simply because the cover screen handled tasks that would otherwise have led to extended phone sessions.
Final Thoughts
Your flip phone's cover screen is more than a notification display—it's a tool that fundamentally changes how you interact with your device. Take time to customise it for your needs, explore its capabilities, and develop habits that leverage its unique strengths.
The best cover screen setup is the one that serves your specific use cases. Experiment with different clock faces, widgets, and settings until you find the combination that feels natural. And remember: the cover screen is there to make quick tasks quicker, not to replicate the full phone experience in a smaller format.
Master your cover screen, and you'll discover one of the true joys of flip phone ownership: staying connected without being consumed by your device.