Technology

Apple faces developer update challenges for iPhone Duo inner screen apps

9to5Mac reports that iPhone Duo apps require iOS 27 updates to use the inner display properly.

Updated Sep 21, 2026 · 22:14 UTC3 reports

The short version

Apple is requiring developers to recompile apps for iOS 27.0 or higher to fully support the iPhone Duo's larger inner display.[9to5Mac]
Apps that are not updated by developers risk displaying with black bars on the device's inner screen.[9to5Mac]
Developers must also adopt additional system features like Liquid Glass when updating their software for iOS 27.[9to5Mac]
A potential iPad app compatibility mode could be introduced in iOS 28 if developer adoption lags.[9to5Mac]

Apps must be recompiled for iOS 27.0 at minimum to take advantage of the iPhone Duo's inner screen.[9to5Mac]
Accessing the iPhone Duo's unique tab bar and UI components requires compiling for iOS 27.1.[9to5Mac]
Rebuilding for iOS 27 removes a developer's option to opt out of supporting Liquid Glass.[9to5Mac]

It remains uncertain how quickly developers will update their software to support the new display format.[9to5Mac]
It is unknown whether Apple will allow split-screen display functionality for non-native apps.[9to5Mac]

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