Electronic device for controlling execution of software application based on state and method thereof

A method of a foldable electronic device comprising a housing including a first housing part, a second housing part rotatably coupled to the first housing part, and a third housing part rotatably coupled to the second housing part, a first display including a first display area disposed on a front side of the first housing part, a second display area disposed on a front side of the second housing part, and a third display area disposed on a front side of the third housing part, a second display including a fourth display area and disposed on a rear side of the first housing part of the second housing part, and at least one sensor configured to detect a first angle between the first housing part and the second housing part, and a second angle between the second housing part and the third housing part, the method comprising:

• detecting a state of the foldable electronic device via the at least one sensor, wherein the state of the foldable electronic device includes;
• a fully-folded state in which the first and third housing parts are overlappingly folded with respect to the second housing part,
• a partially-folded state in which the first housing part of the third housing part is unfolded with respect to the second housing part and the first housing part of the third housing part is folded with respect to the second housing part, and
• an unfolded state in which the first and third housing parts are unfolded with respect to the second housing part,
• in response to identifying, via the at least one sensor, that a state of the foldable electronic device is changed from the fully-folded state to the partially folded state, displaying, via the third display area, at least one user-selectable item corresponding to at least one application program;
• receiving an user input for selecting an item via the third display area from among the at least one user-selectable item;
• in response to the user input, determining a first application program corresponding to the selected item as an application to be executed when a state of the foldable electronic device is changed to an unfolded state;
• and
• in response to identifying, via the at least one sensor, that a state of the foldable electronic device is changed from the partially-folded state to the unfolded state, displaying, by executing the first application program, a screen via the first, second, and third display areas from among the first, second, third, and fourth display areas.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, individually and/or collectively, of a foldable electronic device comprising a housing including a first housing part, a second housing part rotatably coupled to the first housing part, and a third housing part rotatably coupled to the second housing part, a first display including a first display area disposed on a front side of the first housing part, a second display area disposed on a front side of the second housing part, and a third display area disposed on a front side of the third housing part, a second display including a fourth display area and disposed on a rear side of the first housing part of the second housing part, and at least one sensor configured to detect an angle between the first housing part and the second housing part, and an angle between the second housing part and the third housing part, cause the foldable electronic device to:

• in response to detecting changing, from a multi-folded state in which the second display area is covered by the third display area and the first display area face a rear side of the third housing part, to a single-folded state in which the second display area is covered by the third display area and the first display area is in a same horizontal plane with the second display area, display, on the first display area, one or more visual objects respectively corresponding to a first set of one or more software applications to be executed in an unfolded state in which the first, the second, and the third display areas are in a same horizontal plane;
• and
• in response to detecting changing from the unfolded state to the single-folded state, display, on the first display area, other visual objects respectively corresponding to a second set of one or more software applications to be executed in the multi-folded state.