Best apps for iPhone Duo (2026)

The best apps for iPhone Duo right now are the ones whose makers have already said so: Bear, Drafts, Fantastical, Inoreader, Tripsy, CARROT Weather, Detail and Sonos have each shipped an update whose App Store notes name iPhone Duo, and Apple showed Netflix, Zoom and Slack running on it at the announcement. Every other app still works; Apple says an app that hasn't been rebuilt sits in the center of the open display with empty space around it until its developer ships an update.

This is a list for someone unboxing a Duo this week. I judged every app by what its own App Store page said about iPhone Duo when I checked on October 19, and where a page says nothing, I say so. I make a reminders app, Notif, and it's on the list, so read that entry knowing who wrote it.

What iPhone Duo is

Apple's announcement calls it the first foldable iPhone. Closed, it has a 5.4-inch outer display, which Apple says gives 90 percent of the screen area of iPhone 18 Pro. Open, it has a 7.6-inch inner display, 50 percent larger than iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both displays share the same aspect ratio, which matters for apps. It has Touch ID in the side button, works with eSIM only, ships with iOS 27.1, and is available October 23 in more than 70 countries and regions, with 28 more on October 30, from $1,999 in the US. Apple's technical specifications have the rest.

The software is what a new owner should know about. Apple says Split View lets you open two apps side by side on iPhone for the first time, or two windows of the same app, and save app pairs; the Dock and app controls move to the side so content gets the vertical space, and StandBy works on either display, even when the phone isn't charging.

How apps run on it

Apple's guidance for developers describes three tiers, which explain most of what you'll see on day one:

• Apps built for iOS 26 or earlier run, but don't adapt to every layout. Open, they sit in the center of the inner display with empty space around them
• Apps built for iOS 27 fill most of the inner display, but still avoid the status bar on the right edge
• Apps built for iOS 27.1 or later are what Apple calls optimized: they use the full display, with toolbars and tab bars running vertically below the status bar

In Apple's developer session on preparing apps for iPhone Duo, the inner display gives an app the same regular size classes an iPad does, so it can show a sidebar or two columns there; Apple says an app on the inner display should look like "a natural extension of its iPad layout". An app with a good iPad version has a head start, and an iPhone-only app does not.

Two more things. Apple's developer news from October 5 says an App Store page with iPhone Duo screenshots shows a badge indicating the app is optimized for iPhone Duo, the fastest check there is. And Apple's design session describes Split View as dragging an app to the side so the display becomes two halves that work independently; MacRumors notes that, unlike iPad, you can't drag the divider to resize them.

Prices below are from each app's App Store page as of October 2026.

Notes and writing

Bear. A markdown notes app from Shiny Frog. Its notes for version 3.0.2 (October 12) say Bear is ready for iPhone Duo, and the same update redesigned its panels, which is what matters on a wide inner display: the note list and the note side by side instead of one at a time. Free, with a 14-day trial of Pro; Bear Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

Drafts. Agile Tortoise's app for getting text down fast and sending it somewhere later. Version 54.1 (October 10) is marked ready for iPhone Duo. Closed, the Duo is a compact phone, and a blank page that opens instantly suits that pose. Free; Drafts Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

Calendar, reminders and travel

Fantastical. Flexibits' calendar, with reminders in the same app. Its 4.2.3 notes (October 13) open with support for iPhone Duo, after a year of resizable-window and sidebar work on iPad, which is the layout work Apple's guidance rewards: a calendar wants the month on one side and the day on the other. Free to download; the App Store lists Flexibits Premium at $6.99 and $56.99.

Notif. The reminders app I built, so weigh what follows. Notif runs on iPhone Duo. Every note you write in it is a real reminder in Apple Reminders, in Notif's own list. Each note gets an Insight, one line of help, and an Action Button for the next step: the place in Maps, the store nearby, the official page, the booking page, a new email with its subject, the book in Apple Books. On iPhone Duo, open it and Upcoming sits beside your notes; hold it like a laptop and Upcoming sits on top. There's no account, and notes are never stored on Notif's servers. Free gets an Insight a day. Notif Pro is an Insight on every note, smarter Action Buttons and private notes, $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, cancel any time. With Pro you can mark a note private, and opening one asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Get Notif.

Tripsy. A travel planner from Tripsy LLC that keeps flights, hotels, reservations and expenses in one trip and works offline. Its 3.10.3 notes (October 9) list iPhone Duo support with adaptive layouts, toolbars and navigation, and it's also on iPad and Mac. An itinerary beside a map is the Split View pair I'd try first. Free; Tripsy Pro is listed at $7.99 a month or $39.99 a year.

Reading and news

Inoreader. An RSS and news reader from Innologica. Version 7.11.0 (October 12) adds support for iPhone Duo, and 7.11.1 says that in split-screen mode next to another app, Inoreader switches to its compact mobile layout. Feeds on the left and the article on the right is the clearest case for the open Duo. Free; Inoreader Pro is $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year.

Video, meetings and team messaging

Netflix. Netflix's own page doesn't mention the Duo; the basis is Apple, which named Netflix in its announcement, with Clips on the outer display opening into a larger view when you unfold the phone. Netflix's page does mention an upcoming clips feed. Apple's iPhone Duo page adds that you can pin a video to the top and use another app beneath it. Membership is month to month; the App Store lists Standard at $19.99 and Premium at $26.99.

Zoom Workplace. Same basis: Apple's announcement showed Zoom using the inner display as a video conference layout, and Zoom's own notes from December 2025 mention a redesigned iPad navigation. Apple says the Duo stands on its own for FaceTime calls. Free; Zoom Workplace Pro is $16.99 a month.

Slack. Apple's announcement named Slack as bringing a full workspace into view on the inner display; Slack's own page says nothing about the Duo yet. Channels on one side and a thread on the other is what a wide screen fixes about Slack on a phone. Free.

Detail. A video recording and editing app from Detail Technologies, listed as Detail: AI Video Editor, and the app with the most Duo-specific features here. Its 6.0.4 notes (October 12) say Detail now supports iPhone Duo and records with all three of its cameras, outer, inner and rear, that a button shows your live preview on the outer display so you can frame yourself from the other side, and that a Book Mode records the outer and rear cameras together in a split screen. Apple showed Detail at the announcement too. Free; Detail Pro is listed from $11.99 a month.

Weather and home

CARROT Weather. Grailr's weather app. Version 6.9.2 (October 9) adds iPhone Duo support and multi-window support, with the view split vertically in portrait and horizontally in landscape on larger screens. Radar on one half, forecast on the other, on a phone that stands on a table. Free; CARROT Premium is $4.99 a month or $19.99 a year.

Sonos. The controller for Sonos speakers. Version 90.1, released in mid-October, adds UI support for iPhone Duo, after September updates that improved its iPad layouts for larger screens. It's the app you'll leave open on a stood-up Duo. Free.

Apple's own apps

Apple's iPhone Duo page names its own apps for the open display: Photos beside Mail, with a picture dragged from one into the other; Safari in two windows; Messages, Music, Reminders, Shortcuts and Image Playground; and Siri, open beside an app so you can ask about what's on screen. Reminders matters if you use Notif: every Notif note is a reminder in Apple Reminders, so the Reminders app shows it too, in Notif's own list.

Apps that haven't said anything yet

I checked these pages on October 19 and none mentioned iPhone Duo: Kindle, Apple Books, Google Maps, YouTube, Things 3, Todoist, Goodnotes, Ulysses, Halide and Flighty. By Apple's tiers they'll run in the familiar size, and most have real iPad versions to draw on once rebuilt. Procreate Pocket's page says it's for iPhone only, so there's no iPad layout to extend.

Setting up your Duo

Apple hasn't published a Duo-specific setup guide that I could find, so these are its general steps for a new iPhone, plus the two Duo-specific details.

1. Use Quick Start. Apple's Quick Start page says to update both devices, keep your current iPhone on Wi-Fi with Bluetooth on, and place the new phone next to it. You'll choose between downloading from iCloud, which lets you use the phone sooner, and transferring directly, which takes longer. Keep them near each other and plugged in until it's done
2. Move your eSIM. iPhone Duo is eSIM-only, per Apple's specifications. Apple's eSIM page says eSIM Quick Transfer needs both iPhones on iOS 18.4 or later, signed in to the same Apple Account, nearby with Bluetooth on, and your old phone unlocked. On the new one: Settings, Cellular, Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM, then transfer from a nearby iPhone. Activating the plan deactivates the old SIM, so do this when you're ready
3. Set up Touch ID. Apple says the Duo's Touch ID is in the side button and works whether the phone is open or closed; Quick Start prompts you to set it up
4. Try Split View. Drag an app to the side and the display becomes two halves. Swap sides, open two windows of the same app, or save a pair you use together
5. Ask Apple. Apple's October 15 update mentions Personal Setup with a Specialist for data transfer, and Today at Apple sessions on iPhone Duo and iOS 27

One thing to wait for: Apple says Apple Pencil support is coming later this year, so Pencil features in apps like Bear and Goodnotes stay iPad features until then.

What I'd install first

Fantastical and Inoreader show what the open display is for, Drafts shows what the closed one is for, and CARROT Weather and Sonos are the apps you'll leave standing on a table. Notif is the reminders app I'd pick, but I built it, so try it beside Apple Reminders and see.

Notif vs Apple Reminders covers how the two fit together, Apple Reminders alternatives covers the rest of the field, and if some reminders should stay off a shared device, start with private reminders on iPhone. Notif is free on the App Store: get Notif.

Questions

Do my existing apps work on iPhone Duo?

Yes. Apple says apps built with the iOS 26 SDK or earlier run on iPhone Duo but don't adapt to every layout: when the phone is open they sit in the center of the inner display with empty space around them. Only apps rebuilt with the iOS 27.1 SDK use the full display

How can I tell if an app is optimized for iPhone Duo?

Apple told developers that an app whose App Store page includes iPhone Duo screenshots shows a badge saying it is optimized for iPhone Duo. Otherwise read the app's What's New notes; every app on this list that has shipped support says so there

Can I run two apps side by side on iPhone Duo?

Yes. Apple says Split View opens two apps side by side on iPhone for the first time, or two windows of the same app, and you can save app pairs. The split is an even half and half; unlike iPad, you can't drag the divider to resize it

Does Notif work on iPhone Duo?

Yes. Notif runs on iPhone Duo, iPhone (iOS 18 or later) and iPad, and every note is a real reminder in Apple Reminders, in Notif's own list. It's free with an Insight a day; Notif Pro is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, cancel any time

What should I do before moving to iPhone Duo?

Update your old iPhone, keep it on Wi-Fi with Bluetooth on, and use Quick Start with both phones near each other and plugged in. iPhone Duo is eSIM-only, so plan to transfer your eSIM in Settings, Cellular.

When does iPhone Duo ship and what does it cost?

Apple says iPhone Duo is available October 23, 2026 in more than 70 countries and regions, with 28 more on October 30, and it ships with iOS 27.1. It starts at $1,999 in the US