The Verge’s headline sums up Mark Gurman’s latest report on Apple’s folding phone quite succinctly: ‘iPhone Fold rumor: iPad-like multitasking, but no iPad apps and no Face ID’

Though the updated layout could make multitasking easier, Gurman reports that the folding iPhone won’t run existing iPad apps. Still, Apple is reportedly trying to take advantage of the phone’s larger screen real estate by updating its “core” apps with a sidebar on the left side of the screen. It will also give developers the ability to make the iPhone versions of their apps more iPad-like, according to Gurman.

Hmph. There’s more.

Instead of using Face ID, Apple’s foldable could integrate Touch ID into the device’s side button, as the “front panel is too thin to accommodate the Face ID sensor array,” Gurman reports. That means in place of the pill-shaped housing for the front-facing camera and Face ID, Apple will reportedly add a small-hole punch camera instead. Gurman has previously reported that the foldable could look like two iPhone Airs stuck together.

A few things are running through my mind reading this report.

First, I’m putting my money behind it being called ‘iPhone Duo’. It would really tickle me for Apple to put out a ‘Duo’ and a ‘Neo’ — two Surface product names that Microsoft used and which flopped and was never released, respectively.

Second, this lack of Face ID business really puts a wrench in my plans. I’ve been pretty psyched about replacing my iPhone and my iPad mini with an iPhone Duo. As much as I love my 17 Pro, it’s too big and I think the double-duty device would really work for me. But I don’t think I want to go without Face ID. My iPad mini only has Touch ID in the power button and I’ve never enjoyed that unlocking method. Honestly, it was better in the Home Button.

Third, I haven’t really kept up with the folding iPhone’s rumored specs. I presume each half is going to be thinner than the both iPhone Air and the iPad Pro (Apple’s record-holding thinnest device) since both of those feature Face ID.

Fourth, leave it to Apple to not do the obvious thing and just let the thing run iPad apps. Why make developers go through designing another layout for their iOS apps if the iPadOS versions are right there? We’ll see how the software situation shakes out.

I’ll be pretty disappointed if this thing doesn’t come with Face ID. It’s probably a deal-breaker, even though I’d want to purchase it to show Apple the foldable is a form factor worth pursuing. There’s always the chance they’ll cancel the whole thing if the first one doesn’t sell well. On the other hand, they did just fix the iPhone 16e’s most glaring omission — MagSafe — year-over-year with the 17e. There’s hope.

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