iOS 27 might finally bring split-screen multitasking to the iPhone
iOS 27 might finally bring split-screen multitasking to the iPhone
https://www.cultofmac.com/news/iphone-ultra-ios-27-multitasking-rumor
Publish Date: 2026-06-02 18:33:00
Source Domain: www.cultofmac.com
Apple is reportedly working on new multitasking features in iOS 27 that would automatically adapt any iPhone app for landscape and split-screen layouts.
With the rumored folding iPhone on the horizon, a lack of multitasking would translate to a waste of screen real estate. But this rumored capability could mean your entire app collection would work instantly, without Apple waiting for developers to redesign their apps.
How iPhone multitasking might work in iOS 27
iPhone apps have been explicitly designed for tall, narrow screens. But that wouldn’t work out so great if the folding iPhone’s rumored design arrives. The foldable reportedly will feature a short outer screen (measuring 5.3 to 5.5 inches) for use when closed. Then, it would open, booklike, to provide the user with a screen akin to an iPad mini held in landscape mode (7.6 to 7.8 inches).
Apple will clearly need to tweak iOS 27 to accommodate such a radical new design.
The latest iPhone multitasking rumor comes from Weibo tipster Fixed Focus Digital, who wrote over the weekend that Apple is working on what some are comparing to “Parallel View” on Huawei’s HarmonyOS.
While details remain hazy, the concept sounds pretty straightforward. Apple is reportedly developing a system that learns how to scale apps wider, rearrange layouts and even let apps run in split-screen mode.
Catching up with Android (and maybe surpassing it)
Android began offering split-screen support years ago, but the difference is that Apple won’t require developers to rework their apps.
Since the folding iPhone remains unannounced, the new multitasking approach for iOS 27 might not get much time at the WWDC26 keynote next Monday. However, the feature might change the way you use an iPhone with an almost iPad mini-size internal screen.
iOS has been ignoring multitasking for a while now
The rumors also include Apple supposedly bringing an iPad-style navigation and two-column…
