iPhone Duo brings multitasking to iPhone, but only just

The iPhone Duo inner display brings multitasking to iPhone, but it stops just short of really turning Apple's first foldable into a multitasking monster. Here's how it works, and what the limitations are.

For years now, some of us have used iPhones as portable workstations thanks to big displays and super-fast chips. But the iPhone Duo takes things to a whole new level, whether you're working or having fun.

Apple's iPhone Duo multitasking isn't quite on par with an iPad thanks to the lack of windowing support, but two apps are better than one. And the large display means that those apps are still eminently usable, even taking up just one half of the available space.

So, let's going to dive into how multitasking works on the iPhone Duo. We'll look at what it can do and how it can be used so you know exactly what to expect from Apple's first foldable.

But we'll also take a look at the competition. Because no matter how great it is to use two apps in Split View, it would be even better if we could use three.

And yes, that's what you'll get elsewhere in the world of foldable phones.

Split-screen wonders

Running two apps side-by-side, called Split View, is a great way to make the most of the iPhone Duo's inner display. You can use any two apps, and some apps can even run twice, like Mail, Notes, and others that support multiple windows.

Doubling the number of apps, or windows, you can see at once might not double your productivity. But it sure does cut down on the constant app switching that comes with doing the same task on a traditional iPhone.

How you get into the iPhone Duo's Split View mode will depend on whether you're using two apps or two windows of the same app. Thankfully, both are intuitive and will become second nature in no time.

Two apps side-by-side

Opening two apps in Split View is almost as simple as opening one. You just have to do it twice.

1. Open the first app that you want to use to get started. Now, swipe up from the bottom of the display and pause in the middle before dropping the app on the left or right side.
2. The other side of the display will display your home screen. Tap the icon for the second app, and it will automatically open to fill the space.

Alternatively, tapping and holding on an app's icon on the home screen will reveal a new Open in Split View option. Tapping that will skip step one above, and you can tap the icon of your chosen second app as usual.

You can swap an app from one side to the other once you're in Split View. Just swipe up from the bottom of the app and drag it to the opposite side of the display.

If you have two apps that you regularly use together, you can pair them up. That way, tapping one of the apps' icons will automatically open both in Split View.

With both apps open in Split View, tap the divider between the two apps to lock them together. Unfortunately, as of iOS 27.2, there's no feedback that anything has happened.

Unpairing the two apps is as easy as dragging that divider to one side of the display, whether they're locked together or not.

Same app, two windows

Using two windows of the same app side-by-side can be useful when working in the Notes or Mail apps, for example. Being able to have two notes open at the same time, or writing one email while referencing another, can change your productivity game.

Multi-window support is something that's only available on an app-by-app basis, unfortunately. You'll unfortunately just have to try your most-used apps and cross your fingers.

Assuming the app does support multiple windows, the process of using them in Split View is similar to using two different apps.

1. Tap and hold on the app's icon and choose Open in Split View to get started.
2. Tap the app's icon again, this time on the side of the display that shows your home screen.

That's all there is to it, and we think you might be surprised how useful multi-window apps on the iPhone Duo can be. But there's also a secret third multitasking option.

Split-screen video

Like all iPhones, the iPhone Duo supports picture-in-picture when watching videos via supported apps. But the foldable goes a step further by offering to split the display for a more comfortable multitasking experience.

While Split View is only available in landscape orientation, this feature is the opposite. It only becomes available when watching a video in picture-in-picture mode in portrait.

The feature, which doesn't seem to have an actual name, locks the video in the top third of the display. The remaining two-thirds below it can then be used by another app.

There is a catch, however. That second app cannot be one that plays video. This isn't a way to watch two sports events at once.

But it does make it easier to keep up with your team's big game while scrolling your socials. And the feature is easy to use, too.

1. Start playing a video in an app that supports picture-in-picture and tap the feature's icon. You'll be returned to the home screen with a floating video window, depending on the app. If not, swipe up to go home.
2. With your iPhone Duo in portrait, open the app that you want to use at the bottom of the display.
3. A new icon that looks like a display split into two sections will appear in the picture-in-picture window. Tap it to dock the video in the top third; the app will automatically fill the rest of the display.

This is a great way to watch a video while doing other things. Not least because it's much larger than the floating picture-in-picture window.

Those are all the options we have in terms of multitasking on an iPhone Duo. And while it's a huge improvement over any other iPhone, it can't keep up with the best in the business.

The multitasking monster

Apple's launch of the iPhone Duo in 2026 makes it a latecomer to the foldable market. Samsung wasn't the first, but it's been making foldables since 2019, and its multitasking features benefit from that fact.

The latest iterations, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, really put the iPhone Duo's multitasking implementation in the shade. Two apps side-by-side is cool, but Samsung would argue that three is better.

That's exactly what you'll get if you use a Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra. There are tools to adjust the size of the windows in ways Apple doesn't allow, and there are even floating windows if that's the route you want to take.

In short, Samsung's multitasking approach is much more akin to that of the iPad. Apple has chosen to go for a middle-ground approach, limiting the iPhone Duo to just two apps in Split View.

Apple's decision is unlikely to be down to processing power. The iPhone Duo uses the A20 Pro, the fastest chip ever to be placed into an iPhone.

Instead, it's more likely that Apple sees the iPhone Duo's display as too small to handle more than two apps at once. That, and it simply doesn't see the iPhone Duo as a multitasking device in the same way it does a big-screen iPad.

Whatever the reason, there's always a chance that Apple will unlock more multitasking features in the future. Annual iOS updates open that door, but it's impossible to know whether Apple intends to walk through it.