Apple announced that more than 100,000 apps support its foldable handset, while an iOS update brings stylus input to the device.
Apple has expanded software support for its first foldable smartphone, confirming that developers have tailored more than 100,000 applications to fit the iPhone Duo’s square inner screen.
The milestone follows customer reports of unformatted programs on the device’s main display, CNET reported. To accelerate software updates, Apple hosted developer workshops across 19 cities in the past month. The company also prepared its iOS 27.2 update to introduce stylus compatibility to an iPhone for the first time.
So far, early reviews of the iPhone Duo praised the hardware engineering and folding screen but cited the handset’s heavy frame and steep price tag.
Adapting software for the square display
Early buyers discovered that several popular programs had not been adjusted for the unfolded 7.6-inch display, which uses a 4:3 aspect ratio. Apps such as Discord opened with wide black borders along both edges instead of filling the full panel.
Apple is addressing the letterboxing issue through developer outreach and App Store updates. “Today, there are well over 100,000 apps built for iPhone Duo already live on the App Store, and thousands of optimized apps are being added to the store each day,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations, told CNET.
Developers have redesigned several major productivity and communication tools for the dual-screen form factor. Microsoft updated Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook to mirror their desktop interfaces, while Zoom widened its layout into a larger video meeting window. Mobile camera app Halide Mark III created custom views that work on the outer cover panel or turn into a waist-level viewfinder when the hinge is half open. Other updated programs include sports feeds from the NBA and NHL, creative tools such as Canva and Goodnotes, and shopping apps including Etsy.
To help customers locate compatible software, Apple is attaching a Made for iPhone Duo label to qualifying listings and showcasing them within App Store collections. A third-party web tracker also tracks which titles run natively or still show borders.
Stylus support arrives on an iPhone
Alongside app redesigns, Apple enabled stylus drawing and writing on the iPhone Duo through the iOS 27.2 update, according to TechRadar. The feature makes the Duo the only model in the company’s phone lineup to take digital pen input, leaving conventional models like the iPhone 18 Pro without stylus support.
The foldable phone supports only the Apple Pencil with USB-C. Because the iPhone Duo lacks a magnetic edge to charge or store accessories, users must slide back the end of the pencil and connect a physical USB-C cable directly between the pen and the phone to pair and charge it. Once synced, the stylus works on both the 5.4-inch outer cover screen and the 7.6-inch interior panel.
The pen integration brings iPad features to the smartphone, including palm rejection, Scribble handwriting recognition in Safari and Apple Notes, and low-latency digital inking. During testing in Procreate Pocket, pen strokes flowed without delay across the nano-etched inner screen, and drawn lines stayed straight even when crossing the physical hinge fold.
Practical limits for mobile drawing
The setup still comes with physical and software compromises compared to Apple tablets. The foldable screen detects pen tilt and movement speed, but it lacks pressure sensitivity, requiring artists to adjust brush thickness manually in software settings.
Storage poses another challenge. The Apple Pencil with USB-C measures at least an inch longer than the folded handset, meaning users cannot clip it onto the phone or store it inside standard cases.
Durability testing by CNET showed the handset’s hinge has endured past 300,000 folds without failure as Apple continues to roll out daily app updates.
