Apple’s first foldable iPhone will not ship with the initial version of iOS 27, with the company confirming that iPhone Duo will instead arrive running iOS 27.1.
The detail appears in Apple’s official iPhone Duo announcement and gives the company more than a month between the public release of iOS 27 and the arrival of its entirely new iPhone form factor.
Apple will release iOS 27 on Monday, September 14, while iPhone Duo pre-orders do not begin until Friday, October 16. The first devices will reach customers and become available in stores one week later on Friday, October 23.
That makes iOS 27.1 particularly important this year. Rather than simply being the first point update to Apple’s annual iPhone software release, it will be the version installed on iPhone Duo when the device reaches customers.
Apple has reworked significant parts of iOS specifically for its first foldable. As detailed in The Apple Post’s complete guide to iPhone Duo, the device can show two Home Screen pages when open, moves interface elements toward the sides of the larger display and uses a vertically positioned Dynamic Island that works across both screens.
Split View also brings side-by-side multitasking to iPhone for the first time. Two different apps can run alongside one another, while users can also open two windows from the same app at the same time. Frequently used combinations can be saved as app pairs for quicker access later.
StandBy behaves differently on iPhone Duo too. The foldable can enter StandBy using either its inner or outer display without needing to be connected to a charger, allowing the device to effectively act as its own stand when partially folded.
Apple is also bringing Apple Pencil support to iPhone for the first time with iPhone Duo. Apple Pencil with USB-C will work with both displays, although the feature will not be ready when the phone launches. Apple says support will arrive through a software update later this year, meaning it should not be assumed to be part of iOS 27.1 on October 23.
Apple has not detailed everything else planned for iOS 27.1, and features developed specifically for iPhone Duo do not necessarily point to equivalent changes for conventional iPhones.
The timing does, however, give Apple several additional weeks to continue refining the software designed around its new hardware after iOS 27 reaches existing iPhones.
Apple confirms in its iPhone Duo announcement that the device will be available with iOS 27.1.
iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States with 256GB of storage, with 512GB, 1TB and 2TB configurations also available. Pre-orders open Friday, October 16 before Apple’s first foldable iPhone officially launches Friday, October 23.
