New Delhi: Apple has announced that more than 100,000 applications are now optimised for its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, just two weeks after the device went on sale. The milestone signals growing developer support for Apple’s new foldable design, although several popular applications are still waiting for updates to deliver a complete experience on its larger screen.
The announcement was made on November 6 by Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice-president of Worldwide Developer Relations. She said more than 100,000 apps built specifically for the iPhone Duo were already available on the App Store, with thousands of optimised applications being added every day.
The announcement comes as Apple works to address one of the biggest challenges facing its first foldable iPhone: ensuring that applications work naturally across both its conventional outer screen and larger inner display.
The iPhone Duo went on sale on October 23, 2026. Its unusual form factor requires developers to rethink how applications display content, navigation controls and interactive elements when users open or close the device.
Apple crosses the 100,000-app milestone
Apple’s latest announcement indicates that developers have responded quickly to the arrival of the iPhone Duo.
In her statement, Prescott thanked developers for embracing the new device and said thousands of applications were being added to the optimised category each day. She also highlighted Apple’s efforts to help developers adapt their products through workshops and technical resources.
According to Apple, thousands of developers participated in workshops across 19 cities worldwide during the previous month. These sessions allowed developers to experience the foldable device and understand how to adapt their applications for its displays.
The company is encouraging developers to move beyond simply making their existing apps run on the device. Its goal is to create applications that use the additional screen space effectively and adjust their layouts as the phone changes between folded and unfolded positions.
The 100,000 figure is therefore an important early milestone, but it represents only part of the wider App Store ecosystem.
What does optimised for iPhone Duo actually mean?
The iPhone Duo has two displays: an external screen for conventional smartphone use and a larger internal screen that becomes available when the device is unfolded.
An application designed for a regular smartphone may not automatically use the larger display effectively. Older apps can appear in a relatively narrow window, leaving unused space on either side. Other applications may stretch their existing layouts without properly repositioning buttons, navigation elements and other controls.
Apple’s developer tools are intended to address these problems.
The company identifies applications built with the iOS 27.1 software development kit (SDK) or later as optimised for iPhone Duo. These apps can use the full width of the inner and outer displays, with interface elements such as toolbars and tab bars adapting to the device’s layout.
This is different from basic compatibility. An application may open and function on the foldable without being properly optimised for its screen dimensions.
Apple’s developer documentation explains that applications built using earlier SDK versions can still run, but may not take full advantage of the available display area.
Popular apps already supporting the foldable
Several well-known applications have already received updates for the iPhone Duo.
Apple’s examples include Microsoft’s Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint and Word, along with Etsy, Goodnotes, Halide Mark III, NBA, NHL and Zoom.
Other optimised applications include Netflix, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Amazon Prime Video, Flighty, Fantastical, MLB and SmartGym.
These updates are important because users expect their everyday applications to work properly when moving between the outer and inner screens.
For example, streaming services can use the larger display for video playback, while productivity applications can make better use of additional screen space for documents, notes and multiple sections of content.
Messaging and social media applications can also benefit from layouts that adjust to the wider display rather than simply enlarging the conventional phone interface.
Apple says thousands of additional applications are being updated, suggesting that the list will continue to expand.
Several popular applications are still missing full optimisation
Despite the rapid progress, the experience is not yet consistent across the App Store.
A number of familiar applications were still not optimised for the iPhone Duo at the time of the announcement. Examples reported by MacRumors include Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Home, Microsoft Teams, Duolingo, PayPal, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Starbucks, Venmo, Goodreads and Bluesky.
The list also includes applications from airlines, delivery services, retailers and financial institutions.
This does not necessarily mean these applications cannot be installed or used on the iPhone Duo. Rather, they may not yet offer an interface specifically adapted to the foldable’s larger display.
For users, this can result in black borders, unused screen space or layouts that do not make the best use of the available area.
The distinction matters because a device’s usefulness depends not only on its hardware but also on whether the software ecosystem supports its design.
Instagram highlights the challenges of foldable app design
Instagram has been among the applications discussed in connection with the iPhone Duo’s early software experience.
Although the app carried Apple’s ‘Made for iPhone Duo’ label, users reportedly noticed interface issues after the device’s launch. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri also described the foldable’s form factor as challenging for application design.
The issue illustrates why optimisation is more complicated than making an application fit a larger screen.
Developers need to consider how content, navigation, buttons and other interface elements should behave across different screen sizes and device positions. An interface that works well on the outer display may need a substantially different arrangement when the phone is unfolded.
A foldable also introduces transitions between screen configurations. Applications must respond smoothly when users open, close or rotate the device.
Apple’s approach is to provide development tools and APIs that allow developers to build layouts for these different situations rather than rely on basic screen resizing.
Apple is encouraging developers through workshops and Xcode tools
Apple has been working with developers to accelerate the transition.
The company offers updated APIs and development resources through its software development ecosystem. Its Xcode tools include Device Hub, which allows developers to visualise how their applications behave on the iPhone Duo across different positions and orientations.
Developers can also use Apple’s documentation and developer forums to understand the requirements for the foldable.
Apple’s guidance recommends rebuilding or recompiling existing applications using Xcode 27.1 and testing how their interfaces respond to the device’s displays.
The company has also introduced a ‘Made for iPhone Duo’ badge to help customers identify applications that have been optimised for the device. The badge appears on eligible App Store listings.
Apple has said that starting April 2027, applications and games submitted to the App Store will need to include screenshots for the iPhone Duo. This is another step towards making the foldable a standard part of its developer ecosystem.
What the milestone means for iPhone Duo users
The arrival of more than 100,000 optimised applications is an encouraging development for Apple’s foldable smartphone.
A wider selection of properly adapted applications can make the device more useful for entertainment, communication, productivity and everyday tasks. It also gives developers an opportunity to experiment with interfaces that take advantage of the larger internal display.
However, the total number alone does not guarantee a consistently polished experience. The quality of individual updates matters just as much as the number of applications carrying the optimisation label.
Users may still encounter applications that have not been updated or whose layouts need further refinement. The situation is likely to improve as more developers release compatible versions and gain experience with the new form factor.
For Apple, the challenge now is to turn the early developer enthusiasm into a reliable software ecosystem. The 100,000-app milestone is a strong start, but the long-term success of the iPhone Duo will depend on how quickly the remaining popular applications catch up.