The new foldable iPhone Duo arrives this week, but early adopters will notice one helpful tool is missing at launch. The company confirmed that a custom version of its screen-shifting Reachability tool is in the works, though buyers will need to wait for a software patch later this year to start using it.
The tool will shift the screen sideways instead of down
Since 2014, Apple has offered a quick shortcut that pulls the top half of your phone screen downward. This made taller screens much easier to manage without needing two hands or risking a drop.
For the new foldable model, the problem isn’t the height of the screen, but the extra width. Both the outer cover screen and the massive inner folding display are noticeably wider than standard phone screens.
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To fix this, the upcoming software patch will introduce a horizontal version of the tool. Instead of pulling everything down, a quick tap will slide the interface toward the left or right edge.
This change is especially important for left-handed buyers or anyone with smaller hands. Early testing shows the current iPhone interface leans heavily toward right-handed use, making buttons on the far side of the wider displays tough to tap comfortably.
While missing out on the tool at launch is a bummer, the custom sideways design shows the company is rethinking how software needs to behave on folding screens. The update should arrive before the end of the year, bringing much needed relief for one-handed scrolling.
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