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Apple’s busy working out the kinks with its long-rumored iPhone Fold, but while a lot of the recent leaks focus on the company perfecting the hardware, like achieving a crease-less display, I think it’s going to be the software that ultimately decides its fate.
With WWDC 2026 right around the corner, the iPhone Fold doesn’t stand a chance in making a deep impression on smartphone users hungry for something new and different without the right software behind it. There’s going to be a battle brewing over the best foldable phones on the market, but there are key things that iOS 27 definitely needs to reveal.
Apple doesn’t sell hardware, it sells you on the experience — and the iPhone Fold should be no different. Here are the three biggest iOS 27 features that will make or break its foldable device.
Apps need to scale accordingly
Considering that the iPhone Fold is tipped to be a notebook-style foldable that opens up to reveal a 7.8-inch main display, apps will certainly need to adapt from how they’re laid out now. That’s why iOS 27 needs to prove that Apple’s software is ready to tackle the phone-meets-tablet experience, especially when users move from the smaller outer screen to the larger canvas of the inner display.
Mind you, this won’t be as simple as copying the optimizations Apple made for the iPad, seeing how renders and leaked dummy units show us that the Fold is meant to be primarily used in landscape mode — as opposed to the portrait orientation of the iPad Mini. There’s undoubtedly going to be a larger canvas, which means that apps will need to scale accordingly.
Apple needs to ensure that apps look good both ways: vertical and horizontal. I suspect that in vertical mode, apps will simply look the way they normally do on the outer screen — but I would like to see far more optimization when the device is held horizontally. This includes dual-pane layouts for apps.
Dynamic multitasking
While the iPhone has yet to offer true multitasking, Apple brought it to the iPad starting with iOS 9. These features included Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture. Over subsequent software iterations, Apple evolved multitasking into what it is today with features like Stage Manager in iPadOS 16.
Again, Apple could simply copy this setup and adapt it for the iPhone Fold, but the smaller screen wouldn’t be as suitable for displaying multiple apps together. Side-by-side apps should be easy for the iPhone Fold, but adding a third or fourth app might prove tricky due to space limitations.
Foldable phones like the OnePlus Open and Motorola Razr Fold have their own unique multitasking capabilities — and both are way better than what Apple currently offers with Stage Manager. That’s because of the dynamic layouts they use to effectively manage three apps at the same time. Instead of chopping them up into tiny windows, they remain in full-screen form and are stacked together within a fluid workspace.
OnePlus’ Open Canvas feature illustrates exactly how multitasking needs to happen on foldable phones. Notice how I have two apps running on the screen at the same time, but then move the entire screen over to reveal the third app below them.
I’m eager to see what original ideas Apple will come up with for iOS 27, but above all, multitasking on a foldable needs to be intuitive.
iPhone desktop mode could be the secret weapon it needs
Lastly, everything I’ve talked about so far leads to what could be the secret weapon that iOS 27 can use to push the device ahead of its rivals. For years now, Samsung DeX has been uncontested as the premier desktop mode on phones — with Motorola/Lenovo and Google subsequently joining the fray with their respective offerings.
I can’t tell you enough how helpful these phone desktop modes are when I’m in a pinch, so I’m crossing my fingers that Apple finally makes it a reality. Rumors about an iPhone Fold gained serious traction last year when it was tipped for a release alongside iOS 26 — but that never materialized.
There’s a huge incentive for an iPhone desktop mode to happen with iOS 27, especially when I look at all the Continuity features that make the interaction between Apple devices function so seamlessly. I’m not just thinking about the productivity I’d gain using my iPhone as my computer because I’m thinking about how it could work with other potential gadgets down the road — like the rumored Apple Glasses.
Clearly, there’s going to be a lot of focus on Apple Intelligence features and Siri at WWDC 2026, but these are the three biggest iOS 27 features that will ultimately prove whether the iPhone Fold is ready for the big leagues.
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