iPhone Duo gets Virtual Walkman app ahead of launch

An independent developer has created an app that turns Apple’s upcoming iPhone Duo into a virtual Sony Walkman by using the foldable’s hinge to mimic the flip door of the classic cassette player.

Creator Vidit Bhargava calls the app Duo-Man, built in BitRig’s new iPhone Duo development environment. Bhargava’s app allows users to open the device to choose their music and “insert” a cassette onto the 7.6-inch interior screen, then close it to start playback, ’80s style.

Bhargava said TechCrunch he wanted to make the experience authentic, so he went so far as to record button clicks and static from a real Walkman for use in the app.

Duo-Man won second place at the recent Bitrig hackathon in San Francisco, and his in-app post on X (Twitter) has been viewed more than 2.1 million times.

The enthusiastic response led Bhargava to turn the project into a proper release, and the final app will support Apple Music and local files, as well as an Apple Pencil feature to “roll” the cassette loop (a common Walkman hack to save battery). Depending on its popularity, Spotify support may also be considered.

No release date has been announced for the app, but we do know when the iPhone Duo will arrive: pre-orders begin Friday, October 16, and availability begins October 23.