Netflix changes style for iPhone Duo: here’s the new app in action

With the arrival of the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable, third-party apps face a new challenge: adapting to two displays with aspect ratios very different from those developers are used to on iPhone, and also different from those seen so far on competing foldables, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Netflix has been identified by Apple itself as one of the first applications to truly take advantage of this new configuration, with an interface redesigned from scratch for the device’s dual screen.

Netflix iPhone Duo: how the app changes on the two displays

The starting point is the shape of the screens themselves. The iPhone Duo displays have an aspect ratio of 1.4:1, decidedly more square than the 2.17:1 typical of traditional iPhones used horizontally. This ratio, moreover, is very close to the IMAX cinema format, which stops at 1.43:1.

Specifically, the inner display measures 7.6″ with a resolution of 2,670 x 1,878 pixels (430 ppi), while the outer one is 5.4″ with a resolution of 2,034 x 1,398 pixels (460 ppi). Both panels support HDR with a peak brightness up to 3000 nits.

On the external display, Netflix now shows clips from recently released films and TV series, designed to be consulted even with the phone closed. The app has also redesigned the main carousel of featured content and moved the video player controls to the sides, adding a reflective effect that responds to ambient light and the device’s angle.

When the phone is opened only partially, and is thus used as a small stand, Netflix can also play content in the upper half of the foldable display, leaving the lower half free for controls.

Netflix ahead of other streaming services

Netflix developed the new version of the app even before the official unveiling of the iPhone Duo, thus able to arrive ready at the device’s launch.

Surely other services like Disney+, HBO Max and YouTube will also adapt to the foldable’s format. In addition to Netflix, Apple also cited Zoom and Slack among the third-party applications already ready to take advantage of the new design capabilities offered by the dual display.

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