Whether it ends up being called the iPhone Flip or iPhone Fold, or something else entirely different from the rumors, there’s clearly a lot at stake with Apple’s presumably first foldable iPhone. There’s still a long road ahead before its debut, and while the latest leaks indicate Apple’s investing heavily into a "nearly invisible" crease, I really hope it’s putting in the same amount of resources to build out another, equally important feature.
I’m referring to how it would handle the task of multitasking, which I think is critical for any notebook-style foldable phone. On one hand, Apple could simply replicate how it does multitasking on its iPads. But after seeing what its competition has achieved, Apple can’t afford to ignore developing an entirely new system that makes more sense for an iPhone.
Apple has the reputation of going after perfection, which I hope Apple pours into crafting a multitasking experience that not only rivals, but surpasses what we've seen. Beauty isn’t just on the surface, it’s found deeper and it’s a chance to fundamentally refine how people interact with a foldable.
The crease is a design aesthetic you could overcome
Before I get into the details around what the iPhone Fold needs to do with multitasking, I just want to share my thoughts around the crease in today’s best foldable phones. Every single one of them has a visible crease to some degree, but it doesn’t deter me from using them.
Obviously, wear and tear will cause the crease to become more apparent over time, but I barely notice it once I turn on the display. What I’m trying to say is that a crease doesn’t impact the way I interact with the display on my Galaxy Z Fold 6, both aesthetically on how it looks and physically when I’m touching the screen. Watching videos pretty much makes the crease disappear, unless I’m looking at it from an odd angle.
Apps switching isn't the same as multitasking
Through the 18 major versions of iOS that have been released, Apple has yet to ever come out with its own version of multitasking for iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled when iOS 4 finally gave us the ability to switch between apps, but what I’m craving most is for that side-by-side app multitasking.
The closest thing we have to that is the multitasking features of iPadOS, where it does in three different ways: split view, slide over, and center window. These work well for iPads, but they might not be ideal for the smaller iPhone Fold — which is rumored to have a 7.74-inch main display. This would still be smaller than the 8.3-inch display found with the iPad Mini, so the experience may not end up being the same.
One of the other challenges around multitasking on the iPhone Fold is the amount of power and memory needed to run apps simultaneously. Currently on my iPhone 16 Pro Max, I could run a few apps before they are refreshed. Nothing annoys me more when I open one app, only to have it relaunch when I try to go back to it after running another app.
Multitasking could unlock the iPhone’s greatest potential
The reason why I want Apple to invest heavily into developing a multitasking system for the iPhone Fold is because it could be the key to tapping into a new experience unlike anything we’ve seen previously. And Apple really needs to look at its competition to come up with a multitasking system that’s practical and effective.
One of the best multitasking implementations I’ve seen to date is Open Canvas with the OnePlus Open. This is hands down the best multitasking on a phone to date, largely due to how the display dynamically adapts to run multiple apps at once. What’s remarkable about this implementation is how it can run apps in full-screen apps alongside others, which you can see in the animation above.
I’m not saying that Apple needs to copy this, but it’s the kind of ingenious thinking that makes multitasking on a foldable device intuitive. Beyond how apps are arranged in a multitasking view, I’m also eager to see what cross actions Apple will offer. Naturally, drag and drop would be the logical one to bring to the iPhone Fold, but Apple would need to do much more to set itself apart.
And lastly, I think multitasking with the iPhone Fold could also be an opportunity to introduce new accessories to make it stand apart from any iPhone before it. One accessory that comes to mind is a combination case and keyboard, much like the one available to the iPad Pro 2024, which could help bridge that gap in making it a laptop replacement.
Either way, this is the area where Apple needs to devote more of its time and effort. With WWDC 2025 set for June 9, it’ll be interesting to see what new changes will come with iOS 19, like the rumor about adding a desktop mode similar to Samsung DeX.
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