Key takeaways
- Split View on the iPhone Duo works only on the 7.6-inch inner display, unfolded and held sideways.
- Tapping the divider locks two apps as an app pair, so opening either one launches the other with it.
- The divider is fixed at 50/50, unlike iPadOS where it can be resized, and just one app can make sound at once.
- The coverage doesn't say what the Duo costs or exactly when it shipped, so check Apple's listing before you buy.
Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo, is out, and the headline multitasking feature is Split View. MacRumors says the Duo is the first iPhone able to show two apps on screen together. It comes with a few hard limits that are worth knowing before you build a routine around it.
How do you open two apps side by side on the iPhone Duo?
Unfold the phone, turn it sideways, and start Split View from inside an app or from the Home Screen. It works only on the 7.6-inch inner display. Fold the phone shut or rotate it upright and you lose the side-by-side layout, according to MacRumors’ how-to.
There are two ways in. From inside an app, swipe up from the bottom, pause in the center, then drag the app to the left or right edge. The Home Screen fills the other half, and you pick your second app by tapping its icon, using swipe-down search, or opening the App Library.
The other route starts from an icon: press and hold it on the Home Screen or in the App Library, tap Open in Split View, then choose the partner app.
Some apps can also open two windows of the same app next to each other. MacRumors lists Safari, Mail, Notes and Files, and says this works in certain cases. Don’t assume every app will do it.
Lock, swap and unpair
An app pair is a Split View arrangement you save. Tap the divider between the two apps and they’re linked: from then on, opening either one launches the other beside it. Swapping sides and breaking the pair take one gesture each.
- Lock a pair: tap the divider between the two apps.
- Swap sides: swipe up from the bottom edge of one app, hold briefly at mid-screen, then drag it across to the other side.
- Unpair: drag the divider to the left or right edge. The app you push off closes, and the other goes full screen.
Pairs are the part I’d use most. If you always read email next to a calendar, or keep notes beside a browser, locking the pair saves you the swipe-pause-drag routine every time.
What the iPhone Duo won’t let you do
Two limits stand out. The Split View divider is fixed at 50/50, so you can’t give one app more room. And sound comes from just one app at once, so two videos or a video and a music app won’t run together.
Add the other restrictions and you get a short list:
- No resizing the split. Each app gets exactly half of the inner screen.
- No simultaneous audio from both apps.
- No Split View on the outer display, or with the phone folded or held upright.
- No guarantee of two windows from the same app. That works only in certain cases, per MacRumors.
MacRumors describes this as how Split View currently works, so Apple could loosen these rules in a software update. Whether it will isn’t reported.
How does it compare with iPad and Android foldables?
Against the iPad, the one difference spelled out is the divider. On iPadOS you can resize it; on the Duo it’s locked at 50/50. For anyone who treats an iPad as the model for how iPhone multitasking should feel, that’s the first thing you’ll notice.
Android foldables are harder to pin down. Wired’s reviewer says Android makers have had seven years of folding phones, and that they’ve reviewed almost every foldable of the past decade. But the coverage doesn’t compare split ratios, audio handling or window limits on Android, so I won’t guess at them here.
Wired does make one point about apps. The reviewer says indie developers pitched them more Duo apps than they’d received for any earlier folding phone, and that Google Calendar isn’t optimized for the Duo. That’s one reviewer’s view, and it’s about app support rather than the multitasking tools themselves. Still, a fixed split matters less if the apps you pair actually adapt to the wider screen.
Apps built for the fold, not just the split
Split View isn’t the only reason to unfold the phone. Wired says the App Store tags the apps that best use the bigger screens with a Made for iPhone Duo badge, and several indie apps use the hinge itself.
Wired’s reviewer highlights Toastie, where you close the phone to “grill” a sandwich, and RectoVerso, where you open the phone slightly to reveal a flashcard answer. Battlefleet Duo uses tabletop mode so two players can sit across from each other, each with a Duo. FirstSeed Planner puts a calendar on one half and a daily planner on the other, with drag-and-drop between them. For more picks, see our guide to the best iPhone Duo apps to download on day one.
The outer display is where the coverage disagrees with itself. Wired says dual-display use is limited to camera apps, and gives the example that an e-book can’t show its cover outside. Yet the same piece describes Portal showing scenes on the outer screen in tent mode, and Fold Focus animating a city there. So the rule isn’t clear from the examples.
Who should care about this, and who should wait
If you live in email, notes, a browser and a calendar, Split View and app pairs will probably change how you use a phone. Lock the pairs you use daily and you’re done. If your habit is watching a video while doing something else with sound, the one-audio rule will annoy you.
If you want a split that favors one app, the fixed 50/50 divider is a real compromise, and I’d wait to see whether Apple changes it before judging the Duo harshly or buying on that promise. Wired also says Apple will enable stylus support later this year, and FirstSeed Planner plans handwriting then. That comes from Wired alone, with no Apple statement quoted, so don’t buy an iPhone Duo for a feature that isn’t live.
You’ll probably want protection for a phone that unfolds, too. We compared options in our iPhone Duo case buyer’s guide.
What’s still unknown
The basics are missing from the coverage. Nothing gives the iPhone Duo’s price, storage tiers or an exact release date; Mashable only describes release day without a calendar date.
On multitasking, it’s unclear whether Apple will add a resizable divider or multi-app audio. Which apps support multiple windows beyond Safari, Mail, Notes and Files isn’t reported either, and neither is whether Netflix, the MLB app or NYT Cooking have shipped Duo layouts. Mashable’s video covers developers of those apps, but only chapter titles are available, so what they said isn’t confirmed.
Mashable also links to a piece on what reviewers dislike about the Duo. What that complaint is isn’t stated. The stylus timing and any hardware or software requirements for it are open too.
Tools & products mentioned
- iPhone Duo on Amazon — Check current price
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Frequently asked questions
How do I use Split View on the iPhone Duo?
Unfold the phone and turn it sideways, swipe up from the bottom of an app, pause in the center and drag the app to the left or right edge. Then pick a second app on the other half.
How do I lock two apps together as an app pair?
Tap the divider between the two apps in Split View. After that, opening either app launches the other with it. Drag the divider to an edge to unpair.
Can I resize the two apps in Split View?
No. On the iPhone Duo the divider is fixed at 50/50. MacRumors notes that iPadOS lets you resize it, so the Duo is more limited.
Does the iPhone Duo support a stylus?
Not yet, according to Wired, which says Apple will enable stylus support later this year. No Apple statement is quoted, and the timing isn't confirmed.
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Sources
This article was compiled from reporting by the following outlets. Links go to the original reports.
- MacRumors: iPhone Duo: Open Two Apps Side by Side and Lock Them As an App Pair
- Wired: 9 Unique Apps to Try on the iPhone Duo
- Mashable: New Duo apps have me rethinking how to use the iPhone
