Apple details how iOS 27 fits iPhone Duo screens

Apple detailed how iOS 27 was rebuilt to adapt in real time to the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone, reshaping the interface as the device folds, unfolds and switches between its two screens.

Lock screen controls, the Dock, and app navigation elements are now on the side of the screen rather than the bottom, freeing up vertical space for content. Once opened, the ‌iPhone Duo‌ displays two home screen pages. The status bar is now a circular, flexible system that fits into the corner of the screen, and Dynamic Island runs vertically along the outer screen side.

The interface also changes depending on the angle of the device. It reorients itself when the phone is flipped on its side and switches to the appropriate screen when flipped. Apple said that building this required changing the way individual apps present content as the screen changes shape, including moving the Dock to a vertical orientation. The controls stay docked to the side of the screen, and the lock screen moves its buttons to the side to give more room for the wallpaper.

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ supports side-by-side multitasking, which is a first for the iPhone. Split View lets users run two apps at once, and it’s possible to open two windows of the same app, like Safari, or use Siri AI on one side of the screen while viewing content on the other. Users can swipe up to switch apps or save a pair of apps to return to later.

The software also adapts to the angle of the phone rather than whether it is opened or closed. Content moves away from the fold when the device is partially folded, where taps are harder to register, and audio adjustment algorithms account for the changing distance between speakers as the phone moves to different positions. When laid flat on a table, iOS uses sensors in each half of the device to allow users to view content without support.

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ setting triggers sleep on any upward-facing screen, even when the phone isn’t charging, turning it into a photo frame, widget hub, or clock. The new Calendar and Weather faces join the existing Clock and Modular options, the Photos face now displays shared albums, and each face supports additional colors, fonts, and complications.

Apple has created new APIs allowing developers to adapt their apps to the dual-display design, and support for ‌iPhone Duo‌ is coming to Device Hub in Xcode. Netflix, Zoom and Slack have already updated their apps to use the larger internal screen.

The foldable design also allows for four camera features not available on other iPhone models. Smart Take uses in-device AI running on the A20 Pro’s Neural Engine to analyze a scene and automatically capture a photo when its subjects pose.

Duo Preview displays a live camera preview on the exterior screen so a subject can check their framing before taking a photo. Kid Cue plays Peanuts animations on the exterior screen to attract a child’s attention. Duo FaceTime allows people near the person on the call to participate via the external screen.

There are a host of other features like video playback controls and a keyboard that appears on the bottom half of the screen when laid flat, a split keyboard when the screen is partially folded, and much more.

Pre-orders for ‌iPhone Duo‌ open at 5 a.m. PT on Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23.