Add callback to check what part of home screen is occluded

[8bitPit]

Hi there, I hope this is the right place to ask a compatibility question about home screen apps. I'm one of the developers of the home screen app Niagara Launcher, and lately, we're trying to optimize our UX for foldable devices, including the Surface Duo.

The Problem

I noticed that when the Duo is unfolded, the home screen is displayed on both displays. If you launch an app, it occupies one of the two screens by default. Now half of our home screen is occluded by that app. I tried to find a callback method that notifies us about what part of the app is currently visible/occluded to the user but unfortunately to no avail. Microsoft Launcher, on the other hand, rearranges its layout after launching an app. I wish there was a public method for third-party launchers to check what parts of the home screen are visible to the user and what parts are occluded by other apps.

What callbacks I tried but did not fire on when the home screen is partially occluded:

• ScreenInfoListener.onScreenInfoChanged(...) (from com.microsoft.device.dualscreen:screenmanager-windowmanager:1.0.0-beta4)
• windowInfoRepository.windowLayoutInfo (from androidx.window:window:1.0.0-beta02)
• OnApplyWindowInsetsListener.onApplyWindowInsets(...) (from the Android framework)

Illustrations

Niagara Launcher on both screens

Half of Niagara's home screen is occluded when an app is launched

Microsoft Launcher can readjust its layout (e.g. the dock at the bottom) when an app is launched

Additional details

I tested this on the Surface Duo Emulator (SurfaceDuoEmulator_2021.816.1_windows).

[CristianVerdes]

Hello, Peter!

At the moment the SDK does not offer this feature.
But I contacted multiple developers from our team and we are working to find a solution for you.

Thank you for creating the issue and detailed explanations!

[8bitPit]

Thank you very much, Christian 😀 Feel free to contact me if you and your team need any more details about the issue.

[CristianVerdes]

Hello, Peter!

Just wanted to give you a status.
We identified a possible solution but we are still working on it. It might take a couple of weeks to complete.

Thank you!
Cristian

[wylew]

Hello, Peter!

Just wanted to give you a status. We identified a possible solution but we are still working on it. It might take a couple of weeks to complete.

Thank you! Cristian

Any update from MSFT on this @CristianVerdes?

[CristianVerdes]

Hi wylew,

Thank you for the kind reminder and sorry for the late reply. There are many parts involved and we are still working to get the best solution possible.
Sadly there is no ETA for it but I will update you as soon as we have a more meaningful progress.

Thank you,
Cristian

[wylew]

Any traction on this with MSFT @CristianVerdes ?

[wylew]

Well this died on the vine...

[CristianVerdes]

Hey wylew,

Thanks for reaching out! Sadly, priorities shifted for us, and we couldn't handle this work. If anything changes, I will let you know in this thread.

Thank you,
Cristian