Apple’s new foldable iPhone Duo has a vertical dock running along the right edge of its inner display, and early hands-on testing suggests it tops out at four app icons.
Marques Brownlee tried adding a fifth app during his review of the device but couldn’t.
Apple doesn’t mention a four-app limit in its technical documentation, so for now, the dock appears to carry over the same restriction as a regular iPhone despite having considerably more screen space.
A different kind of dock
Unlike the horizontal dock iPhone users have navigated for years, the Duo moves those four apps to the right side of its 7.6-inch inner display.
The change makes sense for a screen that’s much wider when unfolded, but it also changes one of the most familiar parts of the iPhone interface.
Instead of reaching toward the bottom of the screen for frequently used apps, Duo owners will find them stacked vertically along the edge.
The four-icon limit means users aren’t actually losing any dock capacity compared with a regular iPhone. Folders work there too, providing a way to squeeze more apps into those four available spots.
What’s unusual is how much unused space remains above and below the icons. The dock looks as though it could accommodate more apps, yet testing so far suggests iOS won’t allow it.
What about left-handed users?
The dock’s position also raises another question: Can it be moved to the left side?
Apple hasn’t documented an option to change its position, which could matter for left-handed users who would rather have their most-used apps closer to their dominant hand.
For now, both questions remain tied to the same unusual design decision. The Duo has substantially more screen space than a regular iPhone, but Apple appears to be keeping one of the iPhone’s oldest four-app restrictions while moving the dock to a fixed position along the right edge.
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, with preorders opening October 16 ahead of its October 23 release.
