Apple adds 'Made for iPhone Duo' badge for apps built around its foldable

Analysis

Why This Matters

The badge gives shoppers a quick signal about which apps are built for the iPhone Duo's two screens, at a time when the App Store is being reshaped around a new form factor.
It gives developers a commercial reason to optimise their apps, with a visible mark to show for the work.
It is an early look at how Apple plans to market the foldable's software experience, not just its hardware.

Background

Apple has long used its "Made for iPhone" certification to label accessories that meet its standards. The new App Store badge extends that idea to software, following the arrival of the Duo, Apple's foldable with an inner and an outer display. Apps and games that earn the badge are those that make use of both screens, though Apple's announcement did not show what the badge looks like or how it will appear in app listings.

Key Perspectives

Netflix and Prime Video: Early adopters among streaming apps. Netflix uses the full inner display for shows and movies while its short-form clips run on the outer screen, and Prime Video is adapting its viewing experience to the new layout. Developers generally: The badge offers a clear incentive to build for the new screens, but optimising for a new form factor takes time and resources, and smaller teams may lag behind. Skeptics: The badge is only as valuable as its visibility. Apple has revealed no image of the mark, and until more apps earn it, shoppers may struggle to tell which titles really take advantage of the Duo.

What to Watch

Whether more major apps and games announce Duo support before the device's release.
When Apple reveals what the badge looks like and where it appears, in search results or on app pages.
How the App Store treats titles without the badge, and whether unoptimised apps are filtered out or demoted.

Checked

9 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 5 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedApple adds a “Made for iPhone Duo” badge for apps built around its foldable.The Verge: “Apple is rolling out a new badge in the App Store to indicate whether an app is optimized for its new foldable.”
Partly supportedNetflix and Amazon Prime Video are among the early apps using the Duo’s two screens.The Verge: “it highlighted some of the ways apps are taking advantage of the Duo's inner and outer screens. Netflix, for example, will display shows and movies that take up the whole inner display, while allowing you to watch its feed of short-form clips on the outside. Amazon's Prime Video will let you watch shows and movies with the Duo partially …”
SupportedThe badge is called “Made for iPhone Duo”.The Verge: “The new "Made for iPhone Duo" badge will appear across apps and games”
SupportedApple is introducing a new App Store badge for apps and games optimized for its new foldable device.The Verge: “Apple is rolling out a new badge in the App Store to indicate whether an app is optimized for its new foldable.”
SupportedThe badge will appear on titles that use the Duo’s extra screen space.The Verge: “The new "Made for iPhone Duo" badge will appear across apps and games that work with the device's extra screen real estate.”
SupportedApple did not include an image of the badge.The Verge: “Though Apple doesn't include an image of what this badge might look like”
Partly supportedApple highlighted early examples of how apps are using the Duo’s inner and outer displays.The Verge: “it highlighted some of the ways apps are taking advantage of the Duo's inner and outer screens.”
SupportedNetflix will show movies and series across the full inner screen and make short-form clips available on the outside.The Verge: “Netflix, for example, will display shows and movies that take up the whole inner display, while allowing you to watch its feed of short-form clips on the outside.”
Partly supportedAmazon Prime Video is among the apps built around the Duo’s new setup.The Verge: “Amazon's Prime Video will let you watch shows and movies with the Duo partially …”