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Mobile·2 min read

Apple: Over 100,000 Apps Now Optimized for iPhone Duo

Two weeks after launch, Apple says well over 100,000 App Store apps are built for the iPhone Duo, though major names like PayPal, Uber Eats and Venmo still lag.

An iPhone Duo showing an optimized app across its inner and outer displays
Image: MacRumors
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Apple says more than 100,000 apps are now optimized for the iPhone Duo, just two weeks after the device went on sale. The figure refers to apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later, which fill the full width of both the inner and outer displays and place vertical controls in the status bar.

Susan Prescott, Apple's Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, said thousands of optimized apps are being added to the App Store every day. She added that thousands of developers attended workshops in 19 cities over the past month, and that Apple expects the pace of updates to keep accelerating.

Who is on board

Recent additions include Microsoft's Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint and Word, along with Etsy, Goodnotes, Halide Mark III, NBA, NHL and Zoom. Amazon Prime Video, Fantastical, Flighty, Instagram, MLB, Netflix, SmartGym, WhatsApp and YouTube are also optimized. Compatible apps carry a "Made for iPhone Duo" badge in the App Store listing on the device.

iOS 27.2 also added Apple Pencil (USB-C) support, so users can draw in Procreate Pocket, take notes in Apple Notes, Fineliner and TypeDraw, and mark up documents in Preview.

What is still missing

Many apps have not been updated yet. Examples include Bluesky, Delta, DoorDash, Duolingo, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Microsoft Teams, Nike, PayPal, Starbucks, Steam, Uber Eats, Venmo, Wells Fargo and YouTube Music.

The difference is visible. Apps built with the iOS 27 SDK resize to fill most of the inner display but avoid the status bar on the right edge. Apps built with the iOS 26 SDK or earlier run in the center of the inner display, with wide black bars on both sides.

Apple says optimizing is straightforward: apps using standard SwiftUI and UIKit components adapt automatically, with controls moved to the status bar and multi-column layouts on the inner display. New APIs cover the device's different layouts and poses. The company has held more than 50 in-person workshops, and developers can also use the Apple Developer Forums. The state of app support has been debated on social media, but the situation is improving daily.

Apps worth a look

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Tags:appleiphone duoios 27app storedevelopers

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