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iPhone Duo pre order: 100,000+ optimized apps, but gaps remain

Apple says 100,000+ apps are optimized for the iPhone Duo. Users say some still look broken — even with the badge.

By Spec Sheet

The Mobile Desk · (4 hours ago)

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iPhone Duo open, showing a split-screen app interface
iPhone Duo open, showing a split-screen app interfacePhoto via The Verge

Apple says more than 100,000 apps are now optimized for the iPhone Duo — two weeks after the foldable launched globally. That figure refers specifically to apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later, meaning they fill the full width of both the inner and outer displays and place vertical controls in the status bar.

They carry a “Made for iPhone Duo” badge in the App Store on the device itself. The Verge and MacRumors both confirm Apple’s count, citing a statement from Susan Prescott, Apple’s VP of Worldwide Developer Relations. She called the developer response “incredible” and said thousands of optimized apps are hitting the store each day, including recent updates to Microsoft Office (Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, Word), Zoom, Netflix, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Halide Mark III, Etsy, Goodnotes, NBA, NHL, Flighty, SmartGym, and Amazon Prime Video.

IOS 27.2, released shortly after launch, added Apple Pencil (USB-C) support, enabling note-taking and markup in Notes, Preview, Procreate Pocket, Fineliner, and TypeDraw. But optimization isn’t universal. MacRumors lists over 40 major apps still unoptimized, including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Authenticator, Teams, Duolingo, PayPal, Venmo, Uber Eats, Starbucks, FedEx, UPS, USPS, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, MTA, Ring, Spectrum TV, YouTube Music, AMC Theaters, Amazon Fire TV, Apple Store, Best Buy, Bluesky, DoorDash, Fandango, Goodreads, Google Home, GrubHub, Libby, Nike, PictureThis, Verizon, Wells Fargo, Whole Foods, and more.

These either appear centered with black bars on the left and right sides (if built with iOS 26 or earlier) or avoid the status bar entirely on the right edge (if built with iOS 27 but not 27.1). Apple says most SwiftUI and UIKit apps adapt automatically, with controls shifting to the status bar and multi-column layouts appearing on the inner display.

New APIs let developers fine-tune behavior across different screen poses, like half-folded or book-style. To help, Apple has hosted more than 50 in-person iPhone Duo app workshops across 19 cities worldwide and maintains online resources, including the Apple Developer Forums. Still, users report real friction: Instagram earned Apple’s “Made for iPhone Duo” label but was described by its own CEO, Adam Mosseri, as “a bit of a tricky form factor.” The Verge notes that even optimized apps “sometimes still have issues.” That tension, between official metrics and lived experience, is the story.

The iPhone Duo is live. So are its gaps. And they’re being patched, one app at a time.

iPhone Duo: everything we knowPrice, specs, release date and deals in one place
TopicsfoldableappleiPhone Duoios-27app-optimization

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How this story was made

Written by the Hitechreports desk from the reporting credited above, with facts attributed to their original publishers. We do not test devices ourselves; anything about performance, battery life or cameras comes from the outlets that did. Prices are as reported at the time of writing. Editorial policy · Report an error

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Filed by The Mobile Desk

Phones from leak to launch to price cut: what was announced, what it costs where, and when it goes on sale. Indian launches and prices included, not appended.

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