IOS 27 Will Auto-Reformat Apps for Foldable iPhones Without Developer Updates

Apple’s foldable iPhone problem isn’t hardware, it’s software. The App Store has over two million apps built for a tall, narrow screen, and a 7.8-inch inner display doesn’t fix that on its own.

The feature being described, reportedly called “Parallel View,” would let iOS automatically reformat those apps for wider displays at the system level, without requiring developers to submit updates. The name appears borrowed from a similar capability in Huawei’s HarmonyOS, which handles the same problem on foldable Android hardware. That Apple may be looking at HarmonyOS as a reference point is a quiet acknowledgment that competitors have been solving this longer.

The timing matters here. Apple has spent years watching Samsung ship foldables while the iPad’s multitasking model stayed largely confined to iPadOS. If iOS 27 brings both automatic app adaptation and side-by-side multitasking to a foldable iPhone, that’s essentially the iPad experience compressed into a phone form factor, which is either elegant convergence or a sign that the iPad’s software identity is getting harder to justify.

What iOS 27 is reportedly adding for large screens

• System-level app reformatting for wider displays (“Parallel View”)
• Two apps running side by side, confirmed separately by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman
• Support centered on a rumored 7.8-inch internal foldable display

The developer dependency issue is real. Apple faced the same challenge when the iPad launched in 2010, and stretched iPhone apps were a common complaint for years. A system-level workaround buys time, but it rarely produces results as clean as a purpose-built layout.

WWDC 2025 opens later this month, so some of this will either be confirmed or quietly shelved soon. The foldable iPhone itself is widely expected to arrive later this year, which means iOS 27 needs to be ready to carry it.