How to Set Up the iPhone Duo Home Screen (Inner and Outer Display)

Quick answer: Plan the iPhone Duo as two Home Screens with two jobs. Use the 5.4-inch outer display for quick one-hand access with a compact launcher widget or a Lock Screen widget, and use the 7.6-inch inner display for big widgets, Today View and an Extra Large widget as a one-page launcher. A WidgetLoft (formerly FolderMini) group can be that launcher on either screen.

The iPhone Duo arrives on October 23, 2026. Decide what goes where now, before you start dragging icons around.

How the iPhone Duo Home Screen is different

The iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable iPhone. Closed, you use the 5.4-inch outer display. Open, you get the 7.6-inch inner display with the same aspect ratio. It ships with iOS 27.1.

When the phone is open, the Home Screen shows two pages, with Today View (a vertically scrolling list of widgets) on the left. The Dynamic Island sits vertically on the side, and Split View runs two apps side by side.

That suggests a simple split: the outer display is for grabbing one app fast, the inner display for seeing more at once. To pick the apps, see the best apps for the iPhone Duo cover screen.

Step-by-step: plan and build your iPhone Duo Home Screen

1. Plan the outer screen. List the few apps you open one-handed while the phone is closed. A small widget holds 9 tiles, and a Lock Screen widget holds one row of up to 4 apps.
2. Plan the inner screen. Pick the big widgets you want in Today View on the left. iOS 27 also adds the Extra Large widget, which fills a full Home Screen page, so decide whether one page should be a launcher (up to 77 tiles with small icons).
3. Build your groups. In WidgetLoft, create a short group for the outer screen and a bigger group for the inner screen. Add apps by searching the App Store inside the app.
4. Add the widgets. Long-press the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, choose WidgetLoft and pick a size. For the Lock Screen, long-press it, tap Customize and add the WidgetLoft widget.
5. Add the Quick Launch bar. In WidgetLoft, go to Settings, then Dynamic Island & Live Activity, turn on Quick Launch bar (Beta) and pick a Folder. The Lock Screen banner holds up to 10 apps.

Outer display vs inner display: what to put where

| Screen | What to put there | | --- | --- | | Outer display Home Screen | A Small or Medium launcher with your top one-hand apps | | Lock Screen | A Lock Screen widget with up to 4 apps you open most | | Inner display, Today View | Big information widgets you like to scroll through | | Inner display Home Screen | An Extra Large widget as a one-page launcher | | Lock Screen banner | The Quick Launch bar with up to 10 apps |

WidgetLoft widgets are standard iOS widgets that work on any iPhone with iOS 18 or later, including iOS 27, so the same group can be your launcher on either screen. Tap a Home Screen tile and the app opens directly, with no Shortcuts app in between. WidgetLoft has not been tested on the iPhone Duo, so treat this as a starting plan.

Common questions

Do WidgetLoft widgets work on iPhone Duo? They are standard iOS widgets for any iPhone with iOS 18 or later, including iOS 27, and the Duo ships with iOS 27.1. WidgetLoft has not been tested on the Duo and has no Duo-specific features.

Should I use different apps on the inner and outer display? Planning them differently helps: a short list of one-hand apps outside, bigger widgets and a full-page launcher inside.

When will the exact iPhone Duo layout details be known? The iPhone Duo is released on October 23, 2026. Some layout details will be clearer once the phone is in people's hands, so treat this guide as a plan and adjust it then.

Ready to plan both screens? Download WidgetLoft on the App Store and build a launcher group for your iPhone Duo.