New iPhone Duo? Here are 4 Features You Should Check Out Now

If you’ve managed to snag a shiny new iPhone Duo, congratulations on surviving the scramble to get one. Now the fun begins.

I’ve spent a little over a week with Apple’s first foldable phone, and it has several features that make it feel like a genuinely practical and intuitive device — and with a $1,999 starting price, I’d sure hope so. 

What stands out about the Duo is its versatility. Similar to other passport-size folding phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Xiaomi 18 Fold, you can hop between a more compact, 5.4-inch cover screen when sending a text or checking a notification and a wider, 7.6-inch inner display when watching videos, multitasking or scrolling through social media. It’s like a phone-tablet hybrid that fits neatly into a pocket or the palm of your hand. 

Details like the matte inner display, which minimizes glare and makes the crease less noticeable, along with seamless software integration across screens give the Duo a distinct character of its own.

Here are four features worth checking out to get the most of your new iPhone Duo. And if you’re still in the market for one, it’s worth checking out carrier and trade-in deals to help bring down the cost (and maybe get the phone earlier than January).

Use Duo Preview and Smart Take for photos

The iPhone Duo’s foldable design and dual screens open up more ways to take pictures. A few handy features let you easily use the 48-megapixel rear cameras for better shots than you’d get with the 12-megapixel cover-screen selfie camera.

If someone is taking a picture of you or you want to snap a selfie with the rear camera, use Duo Preview to get a glimpse of what the shot will look like. With the phone open, you’ll see an image preview on the cover screen as you or your photographer snaps away, so you can ensure the framing and poses look exactly how you want.

To turn on Duo Preview, unfold the Duo and open the Camera app. Then tap the control in the top left corner (when the phone is in landscape) that looks like a mini Duo. Tap Duo Preview and snap away. 

If you’re trying to take a group photo and there’s no one around to snap it for you, you no longer have to awkwardly prop your phone against a surface and then race against a timer — or make do with a lackluster selfie. Place your Duo on a flat surface when it’s half-folded and point the camera at your subjects. A feature called Smart Take will use AI to detect when everyone is in-frame and ready, and then automatically take a photo. As people change their poses, Smart Take will register that there’s a fresh scene to snap. You can also use Duo Preview to check framing via the cover screen.

To enable Smart Take, open the camera app while the Duo is either opened or closed. Then tap the photo options in the corner (six little dots), and tap Smart Take. A button with a yellow circle will then appear to the right of the shutter; tap that to start the process. 

Smart Take will keep snapping pictures for around two minutes or until it captures about 20 images as people readjust their poses. You’ll then be able to sift through the options in Photos. 

Lastly, Kid Cue can make it easier to hold a child’s attention when snapping photos. With the Duo open, a Snoopy animation will play on the cover screen to draw attention toward the camera. To turn on Kid Cue, unfold the Duo, open the Camera app and tap the Duo icon in the upper left corner. There, you’ll see the option to turn on Kid Cue. 

StandBy mode gets more handy

Apple launched StandBy in 2023, which turns the iPhone into a smart display of sorts, with access to widgets like the clock, calendar and weather. But unlike other iPhones, the Duo doesn’t have to be charging to launch into StandBy. 

Just set the Duo down while it’s locked, either slightly unfolded and on its side in tent mode, or while standing upright. Then you’ll see your favorite widgets, as well as Live Activities. That way, you can track the status of a food delivery, sports score or approaching rideshare at a glance.  

To ensure StandBy is enabled, go to your iPhone’s Settings, then tap StandBy and check that the toggle is on.

Marathon watch as you like

Streaming video really shines with the iPhone Duo’s dynamic design. Open the phone to watch on the tablet-like, 7.6-inch display. Minimal black bars at the top and bottom of the screen allow for more immersive viewing. 

You can also fold the Duo halfway and set it down, essentially making it look like a mini laptop. With apps like Netflix and Apple TV, your movie or TV show will play on the top half, while controls appear on the bottom for skipping forward, rewinding, pausing, playing and turning on closed captions. Netflix also has an added flair: You’ll see what appears to be a reflection of the upper-screen’s content playing down by the controls, as if it’s subtly mirroring that footage. It makes for a nifty immersive effect.

You can also prop your iPhone Duo into tent mode and watch content on the 5.4-inch cover screen. I do this when I’m moving around my apartment tidying up. That way, I can easily see what’s happening without needing a phone stand. Even though the Duo’s cover screen is significantly smaller than the main display, it’s just big enough to still comfortably watch most content (perhaps not as Christopher Nolan intended, but it’ll do). 

Lock a pair of apps when multitasking

The iPhone Duo can run up to two apps simultaneously in its open horizontal orientation, so you can watch a YouTube video on one half of your screen while texting your friends on the other, for example. Some other foldable phones support running three apps side-by-side, but I find that feels too crowded. 

On the iPhone Duo, you can save an app pair, so that if you swipe away, you can quickly pull up that same combination without having to drag the apps side by side again. It’s a quick time-saver that lends itself to the intuitive nature of iOS 27 on the iPhone Duo.

To create an app pair, tap the divider between two apps that you’ve already dragged side by side. This will lock in that combination, so you can easily restore that dual-window card when you’re scrolling through the App Switcher. Just select the still-paired window and carry on with your multitasking (or doomscrolling).