Seven years on, foldable phones still have an app problem. Can Apple’s entry change that?

When Samsung introduced the Galaxy Fold in 2019, the promise was simple: unfold your phone and get a tablet-like experience. Seven years later, foldable hardware has advanced dramatically, but apps have not always kept pace.

Many apps stretch awkwardly across foldables’ larger displays, waste screen space or limit multitasking. Videos may appear letterboxed, while social media and productivity apps leave space underused. Not every black bar is a software flaw, but compatibility alone does not guarantee an app is designed to use the larger display intelligently.

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Apple’s entry into foldables with the iPhone Duo has brought renewed attention to this disconnect. Its developer guidelines and testing tools aim to help apps adapt to the unfolded display, potentially making software optimisation as important as hardware innovation.

“Apple's entry (into foldables) makes app optimisation more urgent. This is mainly because Apple always set the standards,” Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, told Business Today.

Pathak said foldables account for only around 19 to 20 million devices annually, against a global smartphone market of 1.1 billion. Developers have, therefore, treated the category as optional. Apple's entry could change that calculation, he said, because premium foldable buyers are willing to spend heavily on apps. Developers cannot afford to give users a stretched or letterboxed experience on a $2,000 device. The pressure, he added, could spill over to Android.

Part of the software lag may stem from the economics of the category. Samsung pioneered foldables in 2019, while Google’s Pixel Fold arrived in 2023. Without early first-party hardware, Google could have had less commercial urgency to prioritise foldables, despite having issued large-screen developer guidance. Today, Google’s adaptive guidelines promote responsive, multi-pane, and posture-aware layouts. Android 17 goes even further, preventing developers from opting out of key orientation and resizability requirements on large-screen devices when targeting the new API level.

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Faisal Kawoosa, Chief Analyst at Techarc, told Business Today that developing and optimising foldable apps is a joint responsibility. “Operating system players have to push the developer ecosystem for this form factor and the developers have to custom build for it. However, Android ecosystem doesn’t push much for I would say granular details. Apple, on the other hand, is a perfectionist, and pushes the entire ecosystem for it.”

Apple’s control over hardware and software gives it a more predictable environment for app testing and optimisation. Ahead of the iPhone Duo’s October 23 launch, Apple has introduced guidelines and tools, including Xcode 27.1 and Device Hub, to help developers adapt apps to the inner display. Optimised apps will be labelled on the App Store, with developers required to submit screenshots for new apps and games from April 2027. For consumers, this could mean fewer awkward layouts and a consistent experience across the outer and inner displays. However, tools alone cannot guarantee better interfaces; developers must use the extra screen space meaningfully.

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Kawoosa added Apple’s approach would push developers to build apps specifically for the Duo, ensuring features they have brought in Duo work across apps and does not remain confined to few native apps.

Seven years into the foldable era, anchored by Apple’s 2026 debut push for optimisation, the future won’t be defined by the hardware that opens them, but by the apps that transform what happens next.