Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo introduces split-view multitasking, saved app pairs and a redesigned StandBy mode that works without charging. Apple says its largest-ever iPhone display offers an iPad-like experience while folding to fit in a pocket.
System controls sit along the side to preserve vertical space, including a minimalist lock screen that emphasizes wallpaper. Apple says it has optimized each of its apps for Duo’s layout.
Users can move an app aside and open another alongside it, or launch two windows of the same app, such as Safari for comparison shopping. Gestures let users swap apps and change sides, while tapping the divider saves an app pair for later. In portrait, video can be pinned above another app for a larger viewing area.
Sensors in both halves let iOS respond to the phone’s angle and position. Duo can sit on a table for hands-free viewing on its outer display, or place video above controls on the lower half. When partially folded, content moves away from the harder-to-tap fold. Audio tuning adjusts for changing distances between speakers.
Setting Duo down activates StandBy even when unplugged, with customizable weather and calendar faces, music widgets and notifications. As a bedside clock, it can provide a gentle glow timed to an alarm.
New and updated developer APIs support layouts tailored to Duo. Zoom shows shared content alongside meeting participants, while Slack displays more of a workspace. Detail uses the new Core AI framework to run content-creation models on-device. Netflix lets users browse clips on the outer screen and unfold for larger-screen viewing.
Apple pitched these layouts as an answer to competing foldables’ square screens, which it argued compromise scrolling and leave excessive black bars around movies. CAD Pricing and availability have yet to be detailed in the announcement. Stay tuned…
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