Usability: How iOS 27 is different on the iPhone Duo
The iPhone Duo relies on new operating concepts with its two unusual screens. A full-fledged window system like on the iPad is not initially available.
iPhone Duo in various states.
(Image: Apple)
With the iPhone Duo, Apple has to make some changes to the operation due to the novel form factor with an outer and inner display – and unusual aspect ratios for smartphones. The company showed how this will look in concrete terms at its iPhone keynote this week. However, information has now been released that is also directly aimed at developers who want to adapt their apps to the new devices. There is good news and bad news. For the first time, true app multitasking is possible on an iPhone. However, Apple has not implemented a fully released window system like it now has on the iPad, probably because the company believes that this cannot be solved reasonably with the 7.6-inch main display.
(Not yet) unused and open questions for left-handers
Users will primarily deal with the outer display in everyday use, which is used when the Duo is closed. It officially measures 5.4 inches and is unusually wide. Apple has reacted to this and moved the dock to the right side. Currently, at least on the demo devices after the keynote, it confusingly only supports four icons like a regular iPhone, even though there is more space above and below. Whether the dock can also be moved to the left to allow left-handers to operate it better is still unclear. Another new feature on the outer display: the app bar, usually located at the bottom, with the different main areas of an application, also moves to the right. Here, too, it is to be hoped that left-handers can switch sides.
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Multitasking comes into play with the inner or main display. Here, you can display two apps simultaneously using gestures, which works well because they have enough space. Using an app as a freely movable window is not intended. Apps can also be “pinned” in a two-app configuration and thus treated as a space. Good: It is also possible (apparently by default) to open two windows of an app. The classic example would be Safari with two browser windows or Pages with two. Annoying: It is apparently not possible to adjust the size of the app windows. They always remain the same size, so you can’t drag one window larger and display the second window smaller. Technically, this would not be a problem: the inner display can also be used in portrait mode. Then videos take up the appropriate space at the top, which can also be smaller.
Different folding modes for various use cases
The folding modes that Apple has implemented are also very exciting. For example, you can operate the iPhone Duo in “tent mode,” i.e., set it up like a table calendar or alarm clock. This is not only practical for watching videos without an additional stand but also for the included Standby mode. This is now also available when the iPhone Duo is operated without a power connection. It is also possible to operate the device partially unfolded and in portrait mode, with standby also possible – or you can use this to create a 4K timelapse with Dolby HDR without a tripod.
Apple also uses the possibilities of the two displays. With FaceTime in Duo mode, you can not only use the front and rear cameras but also display the communication partner on the second screen so that people standing around can also see them. When taking photos with children, Apple shows Snoopy animations so that they look in the right direction. The Smart Take function, which can also be used in the setup mode, only starts recording when all people are standing correctly in front of the camera. Also useful: The iPhone Duo can be used partially unfolded in “notebook mode,” then control instruments are on the (then) lower display half and a video plays on the other. Developers have to adapt their apps to the iPhone Duo in part. Apple has published a video overview and further material for this.
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