It’s funny when a brand-new phone teaches an old tablet a lesson. That’s exactly what the iPhone Duo seems to have done for the iPad. I’m genuinely glad somebody at Apple was paying attention, as it was overdue.
iPadOS 27.2 makes setting up side-by-side apps on an iPad much easier, and it is an iPad multitasker’s dream come true if you ask me.
How does the new Split View setup work?
Using two apps side-by-side used to be a chore in iPadOS 26. You had to open an app, resize it, swipe up to find another, pick it, and often resize that one too.
However, with iPadOS 27, whenever you tile an app to the left or right using the window controls or menu bar, the Home Screen appears, and one tap puts a second app beside it.
To me, this looks inspired by the iPhone Duo. The way Split View works on the first foldable iPhone looks more intuitive than multitasking on the iPad used to be. I’d say that Apple was wise to borrow the idea.
It isn’t identical, but it’s much closer.
What is Apple updating next?
Apple isn’t stopping here. It has reportedly started testing iOS 27.2.1, a minor update with bug fixes or security patches, one that possibly includes fixes for the newly-launched iPhone Duo.
The rumor has no date attached yet, but test versions usually surface days to weeks before release. I’d suggest iPhone Duo owners keep an eye out on official Apple forums.
Even bigger is the first iOS 27.3 beta, which is expected as early as Tuesday, November 3, 2026. However, a public release is only expected in December 2026. From what I already know, it enables some Apple Intelligence features in China on iPhone 15 Pro and newer (just not on iPad yet).
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