Apple says developers are showing ‘incredible’ support for the iPhone Duo

One of the major issues raised by early reviews of the iPhone Duo is limited support by third-party apps. As we noted in our own review, there are three tiers of support currently, the worst of which sees an iPhone app stranded in the center of a mostly black area of the display. The good news is that Apple says the position is changing rapidly, citing “incredible” support for the larger display of the folding iPhone … Apple says developers are taking advantage of the flexibility of the iPhone Duo in order to create exciting new experiences. With an inner display that’s 50 percent larger than iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the flexibility to use iPhone Duo in a variety of poses, developers are enhancing their apps to create exciting new experiences for capturing and sharing memories, streaming entertainment, gaming, multitasking, and much more […] “The response to iPhone Duo from our developer community has been incredible, and we’re inspired by how quickly they’ve embraced its larger display and new ways to interact,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “From watching popular shows and content on the expansive inner display to multitasking across windows or playing console-quality games, developers around the world are reimagining what their apps can do. We can’t wait for users to discover these experiences beginning this Friday, with many more app experiences to follow.” The company says it will be highlighting some of the best iPhone Duo apps and games on the App Store tomorrow when the new device goes on sale. Apple has already named some of them, starting with streaming video services. Netflix makes finding great entertainment even more fun: Members can scroll through Clips on the outer display and then open iPhone Duo to keep watching on the large nano-texture inner display, with Clips switching seamlessly between a vertical or horizontal view. More streaming services — including Prime Video and Paramount+ — are joining Apple TV in using the larger canvas for movies and series. With iPhone Duo, Prime Video enhances the viewing experience for users as they stream premium entertainment, and when partially folded, content plays on the top half of the display while X-Ray details showing cast and bonus content appear on the bottom half. Paramount+ offers richer playback controls and expanded browsing for shows and live channels. Two key sports apps have also been updated to take advantage of the new opportunities. When iPhone Duo is propped open on a table, users can easily enjoy content hands-free, without a stand. Sports fans can follow MLBand PGA Tour with live games and highlights, plus real-time scores, stats, and leaderboards on the larger display. “Baseball fans are incredibly passionate about the sport, and they follow our games as closely as they can. Now, iPhone Duo provides an exciting new fan engagement platform by showcasing the action and information simultaneously,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB’s executive vice president of Media, Business Development, and Product. “This incredible device unlocks a fun, versatile way to experience baseball from anywhere, and we’re grateful to have worked with Apple to ensure the app is ready for the World Series. Set iPhone Duo on a table partially folded and the live game plays on the upright half of the display while real-time stats fill the half resting on the table, so fans never have to choose between the broadcast and the box score.” Apple says that Microsoft Word and Outlook will roll out a desktop-class experience in the next few weeks, while Zoom, Slack, and Salesforce are also prepping their own updates. Zoom turns the inner display into an immersive video conference room, so users can see shared content and other participants at the same time. Slack brings a user’s whole workspace into view, making it easy to follow channels and automate tasks. Salesforce helps teams manage customer relationships and act on business insights, with more of their dashboards in view. The company goes on to name other apps, including Fantastical, Notewise, Things, Bear, Detail, Instagram, Edits, and VLLO. Apple Arcade games ready for the new form factor include Sneaky Sasquatch and Retrocade. More apps and sample screenshots are shared in the company’s announcement. If you’ve already ordered the iPhone Duo or are heading to an Apple store to try one, reviewers recommend trying the inner display in both landscape and portrait modes to see which delivers the better experience. Different third-party apps tend to be optimized for one or the other. iPhone Duo cases Beats Woven USB-C cables Certified refurbished Apple products 15% off at apple.com Discounted AirPods Pro 3 Wireless CarPlay adapter 10-year AirTag battery case Logitech MX Master 4 for Mac FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.