“When we were working on it, we knew that developers were gonna have a field day.”
That’s what Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, told me when I asked how experiences like watching live baseball helped shape iPhone Duo. We were at MLB headquarters, looking at what happens when a sports app gets a phone screen with a little more room to play ball.
It was an optimistic answer, as expected. But whether developers are having a field day and whether buyers are getting their money’s worth are two different questions.
In early reactions to iPhone Duo’s splashy launch, app optimization has become a dividing line. Some see unfinished or inconsistent experiences as an obvious reason to hold off. Others think expecting every developer to have a fully realized foldable app at launch is unreasonable.
I understand both arguments. But after trying MLB’s app, I think there’s a more useful question: How much better does an app need to be on a foldable to justify the fold — and a $2,000 starting price?
A second screen, without the second device
Watching baseball (or really, any sport) on a bigger display is an easy sell. But that’s the least interesting part of what MLB has built for iPhone Duo ahead of the first pitch of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers.
With iPhone Duo partially folded in a tabletop position, the app puts the video on the upper portion of the display and a synchronized box score below it. You can follow the game and check the numbers without making one replace the other.
Fully unfolded, there’s room to use the phone’s multitasking features to read articles, send messages or even get some work done — especially helpful during weekday games.
“For years, pundits have been talking about second-screen experiences for live sports,” Kenny Gersh, MLB’s executive vice president of Media, Business Development and Product, said at the event. “To me, it’s amazing how this is the second screen, on one device, in your pocket.”
“To me, it’s amazing how this is the second screen, on one device, in your pocket.”
Kenny Gersh, MLB’s executive vice president of Media, Business Development and Product
There’s a business incentive for MLB, too. When I asked what would make this a success, Gersh pointed to engagement, or whether fans spend more time in the app and return more often. Letting people message friends without putting the game away could help with that.
MLB wants me to keep watching. I want to keep watching while doing something else. Those interests happen to line up when a device like the Duo is available.
Launch day is the beginning of the experiment
To me, the app did seem a little rough around the edges, especially compared to some other “optimized” Duo apps I’ve had the chance to explore. But MLB acknowledged that the version we’re seeing now will likely look quite different from the one that’ll be ready for Opening Day in 2027.
MLB is using this World Series as a learning experiment. When asked what he hoped to discover throughout the next four to seven games, Gersh said: “Really, just to see how they use it.”
Will fans gravitate toward the tabletop layout? Will they open two instances of MLB? Will they watch alongside social feeds or messages? And what will they ask for that the team hasn’t considered?
Gersh also pointed out a limitation of this first test: there’s only one World Series game happening at a time. A regular-season night with multiple games will reveal more about what fans want to watch and follow simultaneously.
Dear app developers: Give me a reason to unfold it
There’s a difference between designing for a new screen and discovering how people actually want to use it. MLB’s acknowledgment that there’s still plenty to learn is something I expect we’ll hear from more developers adapting their iOS apps for a foldable iPhone.
If they need examples to follow, Netflix and NYT Cooking are two that stand out to me for how thoughtfully their experiences adapt to different orientations and positions. The layout changes in ways that reflect what users might realistically be doing with the phone.
MLB gets there with the game above and the box score below. It’s a straightforward change that understands why someone would use that position in the first place. But MLB also shows why a launch-day checklist can only tell us so much. An app can already offer something useful while still having plenty to figure out.
I think the apps that’ll ultimately win on iPhone Duo will give us reasons to unfold it. A bigger version of what I already do on a regular iPhone doesn’t do enough to justify the phone’s price tag. As developers like MLB’s spend the next few weeks and months designing around the device, I want to see experiences that are easier, more useful or more enjoyable because the phone folds.
Joz says developers are going to have a field day. With the right apps, I, as a user, should feel like I’m having one, too.
- How long does Phone Duo battery life last?
- iPhone Duo apps — here’s my top 15 picks so far
- Best iPhone Duo deals — save up to $1,200 right now
