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Apple · Accessibility1 min read

Apple's foldable iPhone gets a one-handed mode in the latest test version

Apple's test version of iOS 27.3 adds Reachability to the iPhone Duo, letting owners slide the outside screen toward their thumb to use the foldable one-handed.

By the Dashline deskSource: Engadget
Apple's foldable iPhone gets a one-handed mode in the latest test version
Photo: Engadget

Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, is getting a one-handed mode. It shows up in the latest beta of iOS 27.3, which is a test version of the software that Apple releases before the public update. The feature is called Reachability.

What changed

On the Duo's outside screen, swipe outward from either edge. The software then slides everything on the screen closer to your thumb. Engadget, citing MacRumors, gives an example. If you hold the phone in your right hand, you can pull a browser over so the back button, usually on the left, is easier to tap.

To turn it on, open Settings, then Accessibility, then Touch, and switch on Reachability.

Background and what is unknown

Reachability is not new. Apple introduced it on the iPhone 6 in 2014 to help people use phones with larger screens. On most iPhones, it pulls the screen downward instead of sideways. The Duo's outside display is a 5.4-inch OLED screen.

The same beta also includes a redesigned Health app and new Siri AI actions for various apps. The material does not say when iOS 27.3 will reach the public. Because this is a beta, details could still change before then.

The takeaway

If you have an iPhone Duo, Reachability in the iOS 27.3 beta lets you slide the outside screen toward your thumb, and you turn it on in Accessibility settings.

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