Apple’s latest SDK update in iOS 26 points to more than flexible app design. It suggests that the company is preparing for new hardware with different screen dimensions. During a WWDC 2025 developer session titled “Make your UIKit app more flexible,” Apple said that future devices will no longer scale or letterbox apps by default. This shift strongly hints at a new form factor, likely a foldable iPhone.
Until now, Apple automatically scaled or letterboxed apps built with older SDKs when they ran on new screen sizes. Developers would later submit updates to optimize for the new hardware. With iOS 26, Apple removes this fallback. If your app’s interface isn’t responsive, it won’t adapt well to future devices.
Apple Prepares Developers for New Form Factors
The session clearly instructed developers to make their apps ready for arbitrary screen sizes. Apple emphasized this change by linking it directly to “new hardware” and “new screen size.” This timing matches long-running speculation about a foldable iPhone. Historically, Apple only pushes for this kind of UI readiness when preparing for hardware that would break layout norms.
According to 9to5Mac, the company’s decision reflects how it handled the original iPad launch. Back then, Apple quietly ensured the app ecosystem could support a new aspect ratio before revealing the device. The same pattern is playing out again.
Foldable Leak Aligns with SDK Shift
As reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Apple’s latest foldable iPhone prototype uses an inner display with a 14.1:10 aspect ratio and an under-display camera. The outer display uses a 14.6:10 punch-hole layout. The design also includes a side-mounted Touch ID sensor.
These ratios are a clear departure from the current iPhone standards of 19.5:9. Such drastic differences require native UI flexibility. Apple’s updated SDK appears to anticipate this need.
The company did not name the device. But if you’re a developer, the message is clear. Prepare your apps now. A different kind of iPhone is coming.