The iPhone Duo’s Missing Piece Is Already Waiting in the Wings
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Apple’s iPhone Duo goes on sale tomorrow — and arrives in the hands of those customers who were fortunate enough to be at the front of the preorder line — but as we already know, there will be a few features that won’t be available on launch day.
Chief among these is Apple Pencil support. When Apple unveiled its new foldable, it surprised us by announcing that owners would be able to use it with the Apple Pencil (although only the USB-C version). However, it also made it clear that support wouldn’t show up at launch, but was rather “coming later this year.”
That phrase typically means it’s coming in a software update, but the good news is that new iPhone Duo users aren’t going to have to wait long. The iPhone Duo ships with iOS 27.1 — an exclusive point release that’s not coming to any other iPhone models — but contrary to some assumptions, it appears that it will be getting the same iOS 27.2 update as the rest of the iPhone family.
Apple Pencil Already Live in iOS 27.2
In fact, it appears that iOS 27.1 could be the shortest-lived build in Apple’s history. Not only has Apple already pushed out the iOS 27.2 RC build for the iPhone Duo, but at least some early reviewers have installed it — and confirmed that the Apple Pencil does indeed work once that update is installed.
We probably won’t see the public release of iOS 27.2 before Monday, October 26, which means anyone unboxing an iPhone Duo tomorrow will have to either wait it out or jump into the Apple Beta Software Program to get the RC build.
It’s also worth noting that the iPhone Duo exclusively supports the Apple Pencil (USB-C). Thankfully, that’s Apple’s most affordable stylus — Amazon sells it for $69, which is $10 cheaper than Apple’s price — but it also means iPad Air and iPad Pro owners with the Apple Pencil Pro will need to purchase a different stylus for the iPhone Duo.
Apple reportedly tested a specific stylus for the iPhone Duo that would have been shorter and magnetically attachable, but pulled the plug late in the game. That was when it pivoted to “Plan B” — simply adding support for the current Apple Pencil.
Despite Steve Jobs’ famous opposition to styluses, Apple’s decision wasn’t philosophical. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company simply “ran into technical problems ahead of mass production.” That leaves the door open to Apple someday producing a more appropriate stylus for a future iPhone Duo.
For now, though, the stylus support will be a bit clunky, as there’s really no easy way to travel with a full-size Apple Pencil alongside your iPhone Duo. It’s about the same length as the long edge of the device when it’s unfolded, which means that even if a third-party manufacturer attempted to create a case with a spot for an Apple Pencil, the result would be exceedingly weird.
Despite years of rumors about stylus support on traditional iPhone models, none of this should be taken as a sign that Apple will relent on that front. The iPhone Duo is a fundamentally different device, and as I was reading John Gruber’s iPhone Duo review this morning, I found myself nodding in complete agreement when he described it as a far better iPad than an iPhone. Apple’s iPads have supported various forms of the Apple Pencil for years, and it’s noteworthy that the iPhone Duo exclusively supports the stylus when it’s being operated in “iPad mode” — unfolded into a full tablet.
