Before Apple even releases its highly anticipated foldable phone, an indie developer has built what might be its most exciting software. The new iPhone Duo is getting a virtual Walkman app that turns the 7.6-inch inner screen into a retro cassette player. Developer Vidit Bhargava calls his creation Duo-Man, and a quick video of the project has already gathered over two million views on social media.
Developer builds a realistic cassette player for the folding screen
The app uses the unique hardware of the folding iPhone to mimic how people used to listen to music. You open the large inner display to choose your tracks and insert a digital tape. Once you snap the device shut, the music starts playing.
Bhargava wanted the software to feel as genuine as possible. He recorded actual mechanical button clicks and tape static from a physical Walkman to use as sound effects. The app even lets you use an Apple Pencil to roll the cassette tape loops, just like people used to do to save battery life back in the day. This clever project won second place at a recent San Francisco hackathon.
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The viral prototype prepares for a public release this fall
Thanks to a huge response online, Bhargava is turning this fun hackathon project into a real app for everyone. When it officially launches, Duo-Man will support local music files and Apple Music. The developer is also looking into adding Spotify support if there is enough demand from users.
The creator has not shared a launch date for the app yet. However, Apple will start taking pre-orders for its newest phone on October 16, with store availability beginning on October 23. Since this app relies on the folding mechanism, it will likely launch around the same time people start receiving their devices in the mail. Whether it works with the new Apple system features remains to be seen, but the current feature set is already drawing plenty of attention.
While big software companies are still figuring out how to use folding screens, independent creators are already proving that retro, physical-feeling software might be the most fun way to use this new hardware. A $2,000 device might seem like an expensive way to play digital cassette tapes, but Duo-Man shows that there is still plenty of room for playful creativity in mobile software.
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