Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone could serve an iPad-like adaptive iOS experience

Apple’s foldable iPhone is eyeing a Fall season debut, and it seems the device will make a splash with a refined software that will make the best of its wide inner flexible screen. According to Bloomberg, the purported “iPhone Fold” will run iOS, but apps will dynamically go from a condensed page-after-page layout on the small outer screen to a side panel format when they run on the bigger foldable screen.

What’s the big change?

“Apple is developing new iOS app layouts and revamping its core iPhone programs to add sidebars along the left edge of the screen, similar to many of its iPad apps,” says the report. The idea is not too different from what Google has been doing with Android lately, making the OS optimize itself across form factors like phones, tablets, and foldables with varied aspect ratios. Google began that journey with Android 12L, and as of 2026, the company is making it mandatory for app developers to opt out of resizing and scaling.

The core objective is to improve scaling and adaptability for larger screens, starting with Android 17. According to Bloomberg, Apple will let developers adapt their apps’ interface to the larger display with a wide aspect ratio, similar to iPads. It would be interesting to see if Apple can also copy a rudimentary version of Stage Manager, which Vivo has already implemented on its foldable Android phone.

What else is there on the table?

“While the foldable iPhone won’t run several windows at once like an iPad mini, it will be able to show two apps side by side,” adds the report. Samsung, Google, and Oppo — among others — aren’t doing things any differently. OnePlus is the sole exception, which offers a unique Open Canvas system that lets you run three apps side-by-side on its Open foldable phone and tablets.

As far as the foldable iPhone goes, it will reportedly ditch the boat-shaped notch, which can still be seen on the iPhone 17e. For the foldable device, Apple has ditched the Face ID module, and has integrated a fingerprint sensor in the side-mounted power button. The foldable’s inner display, meanwhile, is expected to measure around 7.7 inches when fully open — roughly the footprint of an iPad mini, which makes the software story here every bit as important as the hardware.