Apple Is Building a Sideways Reachability Mode for the iPhone Duo as New Support Pages Spell Out Hinge Fixes

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Apple is developing a new version of Reachability for the iPhone Duo that slides the outer display’s content to the left or right, instead of pulling it down as the feature does on other iPhones, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter on Sunday. The report did not give a release date or say which iOS update would include the mode, iClarified noted.

The change is aimed at a layout question that has followed the Duo since Apple unveiled it in September. On the 5.4-inch outer display, the Dock and other controls sit along the right edge, which raised concerns about how the phone would work for left-handed users. Gurman wrote that early left-handed owners and reviewers do not see it as much of a problem, and that the larger inner display is mostly used with two hands anyway, PhoneArena reported. Early reviews did flag the placement of the Touch ID button as awkward for left-handed use.

Image: Apple

Apple had already signaled that something was coming. Before launch, it said Reachability would arrive on the Duo in a software update later this year, according to WIRED’s Julian Chokkattu, as MacRumors reported on Oct. 21. Gurman’s report adds that the Duo version will move content sideways. As PhoneArena noted, the outer screen is wider and shorter than on other iPhones, so the stretch is across the screen rather than up it. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 handles the same problem with a One-handed mode that shrinks the screen and can be moved to either side.

Apple has also started publishing the Duo’s first support documents, as it does with every new iPhone. The most notable one covers the hinge, 9to5Mac reported. It lists five problems: a device that will not open or close completely, unexpected noise while opening or closing, a loose hinge, a bent or broken hinge, and enclosure damage that affects how the hinge works.

Apple’s advice starts with removing any case or screen protector, checking that the hinge holds the phone in different positions and looking for trapped dirt or dust. The document says there are no software fixes for these hardware problems, and if cleaning does not help, the likely repair is a replacement of the inner display assembly, The Mac Observer reported.

Image: Apple

Another document explains a setting for Apple’s own iPhone Duo Case, which partly covers the left edge of the outer display. “After applying iPhone Duo Case, a message appears on the display of iPhone Duo with the option to adjust the screen size to accommodate for the case,” Apple wrote. Owners can also turn the adjustment on later under Settings, Display & Brightness, with a switch called Shift Left Edge. Other new pages cover genuine Touch ID buttons, what to do if the screens stay black, resetting a forgotten passcode, and troubleshooting display, Multi-Touch, button, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi problems.

Screenshot: @markgurman on X

Gurman has been living with the cases too. He wrote on X on Oct. 24 that he prefers the standard iPhone Duo case to the Folio, saying the Folio’s kickstand is nice but its flap over the outer screen gets in the way of the camera preview. The Duo began shipping on Oct. 23, and Apple warned of limited in-store stock at launch.