iPhone Duo: 20 Changes Apple Actually Needs to Make

Quick summary: No phone is perfect, not Samsung’s, not Oppo’s, not Motorola’s. After more than a week using the iPhone Duo as my main phone, here are the 20 things I’d change in the next version. Everyone’s list will be different, so tell me yours.

Key takeaways

• My biggest software wishes are better notifications, a universal back gesture, and more flexible multitasking and home screens.
• My hardware wishes: a thinner, lighter body, Face ID, side-mounted volume keys, taller displays and better cameras.
• Even so, it’s a great phone. If I were an iPhone person staying on iPhone, I’d get one.

Software changes

1. Fix notifications

I still can’t stand iPhone notifications. After the 27.2 update it got worse: pulling down from the middle now brings up search and Siri, so I have to reach all the way to the top. Even after turning off summaries and extra modes, I don’t feel connected to my notifications the way I do on Android.

2. Let me swipe notifications away either direction

On Android, you swipe a notification left or right to dismiss it. On the Duo, it only goes one way. Swipe the other way and you get your battery widget instead.

3. A universal back gesture (or button)

Sometimes there’s a back arrow, sometimes it disappears, like when you go deeper into Settings. And when the keyboard gets stuck, there’s no easy way to dismiss it. On a phone this big, a back gesture just makes sense.

4. Better app optimization

This is on developers, not Apple, and it will improve over the months. But right now a lot of apps show big black bars, zoomed in or not.

5. A third app in multitasking

The two-app split is easy. Let me add a third on that wide display, like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 can.

6. Resizable windows

You can’t resize split windows. Drag the divider and it slides back, and if you drag too far, the app closes.

7. Static home screen pages on the inside display

The outside display keeps the static pages of a regular iPhone, which is great for muscle memory. The inside display slides like a Pixel, so apps get cut off between pages. Give me whole new pages.

8. A more flexible dock

Four apps is very limiting. Let me add more apps and folders, show recent apps, and auto-hide it, especially on the smaller screen where it cuts off content.

9. More home screen customization

Let me choose how many icons I want and how small they are. I’m not asking for a Samsung phone, but a new kind of device deserves more control.

10. Searchable, clearer settings

The settings menu confuses me. Some of that is muscle memory, but better search would help a lot.

11. Messages on the web

Let me text from a PC browser, something like messages.icloud.com, with group messages and file sharing. I can do that with Google Messages on Android.

12. Easier sharing with Android and Windows

Quick Share doesn’t see my PC from the Duo, so I use Send Anywhere. It works, but a built-in solution would be great.

Hardware changes

13. Better for left-handed users

The fingerprint sensor, volume keys and dock all sit on the right. That’s tough for lefties. Maybe an under-screen fingerprint sensor could help, if that’s possible on a foldable.

14. Move the volume keys to the side

Volume buttons on the top are awkward, and I honestly forget they’re there.

15. Taller displays

Keep it wide, but make both displays a bit taller. I think it would help app optimization too. A rumored Max version could do this, though I don’t think it comes next year.

16. A choice of matte or glossy display

You can peel off the matte screen protector, but letting buyers choose matte or glossy at purchase, like Apple does on some Macs, would be great. I prefer vibrant over matte.

17. A smaller Apple Pencil

The current Pencil is a bit too tall. A shorter one that could live in a case near the hinge would be very portable.

18. Thinner and lighter

It’s heavy and thick. I get a little hand fatigue, and every time I grab my Z Fold 8 or 8 Ultra I’m shocked at how thin and light they are.

19. Face ID

I don’t love the fingerprint sensor, even after tweaking settings. Put Face ID on at least one display. Reportedly it’s coming in the second or third generation.

20. Better cameras, and lose the under-display camera

The cameras aren’t terrible, but higher-end phones like the iPhone 18 Pro Max do better. I understand the size and price constraints. The under-display camera has to go, though. Photos and video look muddy, and video tops out at 1080p. Just give me a small hole-punch camera.

Still a great phone

Battery life is amazing, it’s powerful, multitasking is great in a lot of ways, the cameras are solid, and the displays are vibrant once you remove the matte protector. It’s well built, and I haven’t had any cracking issues. If I were an iPhone person, I’d get it. What’s on your list?

Accessories I use

• dbrand Grip Case and Prism Glass for iPhone Duo (also at Best Buy)
• OhSnap Snapgrip stand