Folding iPhone rumors verses my iPadOS predictions
Mark Gurman had a new report this past week where he suggested that the folding iPhone would allow apps to be displayed side by side on the internal screen, and that iPad apps would not run on the device, although Apple is working to update their apps to have a more iPad-like layout when displayed wide on the Fold. Here's how I think these square with my prediction that the folding iPhone will run what is effectively iPadOS.
What is an iPad app?
Above is a screenshot from App Store Connect. This is for my app, Quick Subtitles, which runs on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. As you can see I've already created binaries for iOS and MacOS but there's no option for iPad OS so how does the iPad version work?
As you can see, iPadOS runs iOS apps. The difference is that the UI lays out differently due to the different screen size. So when Mark Gurman says iPad apps won't run on the folding iPhone, I interpret that as saying that apps which have blocked their app from running on the iPhone will not run on this folding phone either. For example, here's the "supported destinations" for Quick Subtitles in Xcode.
If I wanted to block my app from running on the iPhone, I would simply remove iPhone from this list but the code wouldn't change at all.
I guess what I'm saying is that the iPhone is already running the iPad version of Quick Subtitles and the iPad is running the iPhone version. To-may-to, to-mah-to…there's literally no difference, it's just screen size.
My expectation is that for apps like mine, which run on the iPhone and iPad, they will run like normal when on the outer screen, as well as when they're in split view on the internal screen. They will run with their "iPad layout" when running on the internal screen at full screen.
Multitasking UI
As we have previously established the windowing options available on an iPhone are already there. There are just flags set in the software that prevent them from displaying to the user. My expectation is that in the iPad OS 27 announcement at WWDC this summer there will be the return of a split-screen layout, which is not just the split-screen hack that we have right now in the windowing system. This will give iPad users the ability to have split-screen without adopting the full windowing system introduced last year. I think this will make a lot of iPad users happy.
The added benefit here is that this will allow Apple to use this new split-screen option on the iPhone Fold without needing to have the full windowing solution as iPads.
What will Apple do? We'll have to wait for this fall to find out. I do think we are going to see the line in the sand between iOS and iPadOS blur to the point of not mattering, though.
