Apple has announced that more than 100,000 apps now run properly on its foldable iPhone Duo, a number that reads as both progress and a reminder of how much remains unfinished. The milestone follows a launch in which early reviewers found that many familiar programs still sat awkwardly in the middle of the inner screen, flanked by empty black bands. Developers are slowly reshaping their work to fill the folding display, while the phone itself remains scarce and its delivery has been pushed into next year. For a buyer, the moment calls for patience and a careful look at the apps they actually d
Apple Says 100,000+ Apps Now Optimized for iPhone Duo, but Google Docs and Others Still Show Black Bars
A list isn't the same as a shipped update.
Mark
Apple says over 100,000 apps are optimized. Is that the headline number to trust?
Mimi
It's the headline, but it's defined narrowly: apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later that span both screens and move controls to a vertical status bar.
Luke
And it's Apple's figure. Nothing in the reporting independently counts them.
Mark
What does an unoptimized app actually look like?
Mimi
Black bars left and right, with the app centered on the inner screen. Apps built on the iOS 27 SDK fill more but dodge the right-hand status bar, and some features hide in extra menus.
Mark
Which well-known apps are still missing?
Mimi
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Teams, YouTube Music, PayPal and Duolingo. Discord only partly fills the screen in one test.
Luke
Spotify is the caution flag. Apple listed it, but TechCrunch still saw black bars and no App Store update. A list isn't the same as a shipped update.
Mark
Does the shipping delay change things?
Mimi
Some outlets think buyers may receive phones when more apps are ready. That's a reasonable expectation, not a promise.
Luke
And we don't know which region the delay applies to. Apple only said it can't predict when supply constraints will ease.
Mark
So what should a buyer do?
Mimi
Look for the Made for iPhone Duo badge on the apps they use every day.
Le Pouls
- Apple claims over 100,000 Duo-optimized apps, but thousands of daily additions are still racing against a backlog of unfinished favorites.
- Google Docs, Sheets, Teams and PayPal still show black bars on the inner screen, frustrating users who paid for a full-width experience.
- Developers are being pulled into workshops across 19 cities and asked to rebuild for iOS 27.1 layouts that span both screens.
- Some listed updates have not actually shipped, as Spotify still shows black bars with no update in the App Store.
- Sold-out units and a slip into next year leave buyers waiting, with the 'Made for iPhone Duo' badge emerging as the practical test before purchase.
Apple has announced that more than 100,000 apps now run properly on its foldable iPhone Duo, a number that reads as both progress and a reminder of how much remains unfinished. The milestone follows a launch in which early reviewers found that many familiar programs still sat awkwardly in the middle of the inner screen, flanked by empty black bands. Developers are slowly reshaping their work to fill the folding display, while the phone itself remains scarce and its delivery has been pushed into next year. For a buyer, the moment calls for patience and a careful look at the apps they actually depend on.
Apple says the App Store now carries more than 100,000 apps built for the iPhone Duo, with thousands more arriving each day. The figure comes after a launch in which reviewers complained that too few apps truly used the folding screen. Older apps still run, but they sit in the middle of the inner display with wide black bands on either side, and even newer ones often leave controls tucked into extra menus.
Apple's count refers to a narrower group: apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later, whose layouts span both screens. The company has held more than 50 workshops in 19 cities, drawing over 2,000 developers, to help them adapt. Shoppers can spot these updated apps by a "Made for iPhone Duo" badge on the App Store page.
The list includes Canva, Halide, Microsoft Word, Outlook, Zoom, Netflix, YouTube and WhatsApp. Yet the list should be read carefully. When TechCrunch tested Spotify, it still showed black bars and no update, and Google Docs, Teams, PayPal and Duolingo remain unoptimized.
The phone is also hard to get. It reportedly sold out within hours, and shipping has slipped into next year. Apple says supply constraints are difficult to predict. For anyone waiting, the practical step is simple: check whether the apps you use every day carry the badge.
Apple says the App Store now carries more than 100,000 apps built for the iPhone Duo, its foldable phone, with thousands more arriving every day. The figure is Apple's own, and it arrives after a launch in which reviewers complained that too few apps made real use of the folding screen.
The complaint was concrete. Apps that haven't been updated still run on the Duo, but they sit in the middle of the inner display with wide black bands on either side. Apps built with the iOS 26 SDK or earlier get that treatment. Apps built with the iOS 27 SDK fill most of the inner screen but steer around the status bar on the right, and sometimes important controls end up tucked inside an extra menu. Users can enlarge an app to roughly fill the screen, though the result is not ideal. Another workaround is to drag an app to one side and open a second app in split view to occupy the rest.
Apple's 100,000 refers to a narrower category: apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later, whose layouts span the full width of both the inner and outer screens and which stack controls vertically along the status bar. The company says it has held more than 50 in-person workshops in 19 cities worldwide, drawing over 2,000 developers, to help them adapt. Shoppers can identify updated apps by a "Made for iPhone Duo" badge on the App Store page.
The optimized list is broad. In camera and creative tools it includes Halide Mark III, Canva, Suno and Edits by Instagram. Halide adjusts its interface to how the phone is posed: closed, it uses the outer screen as a viewfinder, and half-open, a single tap switches to a waist-level viewfinder. For work, Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Copilot are updated, along with Zoom, Goodnotes, PDF Expert and ChatGPT, and Google Maps has been updated as well. Word and Outlook have been reshaped to resemble their desktop versions, and Zoom uses the inner screen for larger video call windows. Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Instagram and WhatsApp have optimized versions too. iOS 27.2 also adds Apple Pencil (USB-C) support, so users can draw in Procreate Pocket or take notes in Apple Notes.
The list should be read with some care. Apple's roster includes Spotify, but when TechCrunch tested it, Spotify still showed black bars and the App Store listed no update. That suggests not every update on the list has actually shipped.
Gaps remain among widely used apps. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Microsoft Teams, YouTube Music, PayPal and Duolingo are not yet optimized. In one outlet's hands-on test, Discord filled only part of the inner screen and still left black bars.
The phone itself is hard to get. Reports say it sold out within hours of orders opening and that shipping has slipped into next year, though the reporting does not say for which region. On its earnings call, Apple said it is hard to predict when the supply constraints behind the delay will ease. In Hong Kong, Apple lists the 256GB model from HK$17,499 and the 2TB model at HK$27,999, with a limit of two units per customer.
Some foreign outlets reason that the delay may work in buyers' favor, since more optimized apps could be available by the time their phones arrive. For anyone waiting on an order, the practical step is to check whether the apps they use daily carry the Made for iPhone Duo badge.
Citations marquantes
Apple said it is hard to predict when the supply constraints causing the shipping delays will improve.— Apple, on its earnings call
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