Your iPhone Already Has iPhone Fold Software, but Apple Won’t Let You Use It

The hack relies on a vulnerability that tricks the iPhone’s operating system into thinking it’s running on an iPad. This opens up small tweaks like a landscaped home screen, an iPad-style app switcher, and more Dock items. But it also offers transformative changes like running desktop apps not available for iPhone, full windowed multitasking, and optimized external display support. All without any effort from Apple Silicon.

The office is blocked

The vulnerability has already been patched in the iOS 26.2 beta, and one Redditor accused Apple of banning iPhone users and artificially restricting older devices to push upgrades. But are things really that simple?

It’s not as if the “phone as a computer” dream is new. Android has been haunting it since DeX debuted in 2017. Hardly anyone cares. So why should Apple? This concept is probably a nerd’s fantasy. There’s an old argument that if you want to do “proper” work, you need a “proper” computer. If the iPad can’t replace a computer, how can an iPhone replace it?

Except, as WIRED pointed out, the iPad He can Replace a computer for many people — all you need are the right accessories. So the same applies to an iPhone running the exact same software. But where will any momentum for this future come from?

Android 16 is technically ready for another break in desktop mode, with a new system based on DeX. But even now, after it’s finally escaped beta, it’s buried in developer settings. This may be due to the bleak state of large-screen Android apps, or that the desktop experience itself feels politely “difficult.”

Ironically, Apple appears to be more advanced despite not announcing anything of the sort. It already has a deep ecosystem of desktop-level iPad apps. And the iPad features that run on the iPhone really look polished. Sure, there are still some quirks in the interface, and you may need to place your fingers on a certain spot to access the window’s controls. But the performance is fast, smooth and snappy. So, if the experience is so good, why is Apple so determined to hide it?

Profit by design

One practical argument. Apple likes each device to be its own, optimized for a specific form factor. It is keen to improve the transition between platforms rather than having one device to control them all. The phone lacks a large screen and a physical keyboard. Connecting these things on the train isn’t as glamorous as opening up a MacBook or using an iPad connected to a Magic Keyboard. However, with imagination, you can see the outlines of a new ecosystem of profitable accessories for a more capable iPhone.