The timeline

• Oct 12 — "Get ready" opens. Apple's pre-order configuration flow starts: buyers pre-select storage, carrier, payment, and color (Night Sky / Star White) in the Apple Store app, so checkout is one tap on launch day.
• Oct 16, 5:00 a.m. PT / 8:00 a.m. ET — Pre-orders open in 70+ countries and regions. Starting at $1,999 (256 GB).
• Oct 23 — On sale. The Duo reaches customers and Apple Store shelves, shipping with iOS 27.1 out of the box. 28 more countries follow on Oct 30.
• April 2027 — Screenshots become mandatory. From then on, App Store Connect submissions must include iPhone Duo screenshots. Get yours in now, while it's optional.

What's new for developers

• Submissions are open now. Build or recompile with Xcode 27.1 and submit through App Store Connect today — no need to wait for the hardware.
• "Optimized for iPhone Duo" badge. Apps built with Xcode 27.1 get a badge on their App Store product page, visible to every Duo buyer browsing on day one.
• New screenshot & preview specs. Apple updated the screenshot and app-preview specifications for the Duo's displays — check the sizes before you export assets.
• Device Hub previews. Use Device Hub in the 27.1 beta to preview your app across the Duo's poses (open / closed / folded) and orientations without hardware.
• Design guidance & workshops. Apple published guidance covering adaptive layouts, multiple displays and scenes, camera experiences, and orientation handling — plus templates and workshops.

Submission checklist

1. Build with Xcode 27.1. The Duo SDK and simulator ship only in the 27.1 beta — not 27.2. Install guide →
2. Test every pose. Open, closed, folded, tent — run the full pose matrix in the simulator. Simulator not showing? →
3. Run the adaptation checklist. Layout, hinge-safe areas, size-class transitions, state restoration across folds. Full checklist →
4. Apply the SwiftUI patterns. Pose detection via size classes, NavigationSplitView for the inner display, hinge-aware safe areas. Copy the snippets →
5. Export Duo screenshots. Follow Apple's updated screenshot specs; they'll be mandatory for all submissions from April 2027.
6. Submit via App Store Connect. Recompiling under 27.1 earns the "optimized for iPhone Duo" badge on your product page.

Why submit before Oct 23

Launch-day buyers browse the App Store on their new folding iPhone. An optimized badge and Duo-native screenshots are the difference between "works" and "made for this" — and with supply reportedly tight at launch, early buyers are exactly the enthusiasts who notice.

Get listed in the Duo app directory

Building something for the Duo? Submit it below and we'll list it in our directory of Duo-optimized apps — free. We review every submission; listings typically go live within a week.

App name App Store URL Developer / studio Contact email What makes it Duo-native? Submit app

This opens your email app with the details pre-filled — hit send and you're done.