New Delhi: WWDC 2025 mainly featured software updates; it has possibly left the biggest hint so far about a foldable iPhone. In a developer session called ‘Make your UIKit app more flexible’, Apple announced that the current apps developed through the iOS 26 SDK will no longer be automatically letterboxed or scaled upon opening them in the new screen sizes.
This is a significant change to the way Apple has done things in the past in that the applications would have to be updated to a newer SDK in order to be able to be viewed properly on devices that have varying screen sizes. The new shift indicates that Apple is working towards a future where a flexible UI is not only desirable but required, perhaps foreshadowing something new like a foldable iPhone.
Apple stated that iOS 26 will eliminate automatic UI scaling and letterboxing of apps when installed on devices with unfamiliar screen sizes. Instead, developers will create more responsive and fluid interfaces that would fit well into any screen layout.
The timeframe and the mention of the new hardware lead to a device with an unusual aspect ratio in the future. In the past, Apple has merely encouraged such a change when making a major hardware transition, such as introducing taller iPhones or new iPads.
A recent leak has suggested that a foldable iPhone has a custom aspect ratio and screen size. A source at Weibo states that Apple is testing an inner screen 14.1:10 and an outer screen 14.6:10. These ratios are not available in any existing iPhone or iPad, furthering the validity of the SDK shift.
That would mean that Apple is making sure that apps appear presentable on this odd screen without developers having to update their apps right away. Letterboxed and scaled apps would be a detriment to the user experience, particularly on a high-end, first-gen foldable.
Apple is already making it clear that all devices in the future can be of different and non-standard screen sizes even without assuring a foldable iPhone. App developers that have not optimised their application to adapt to dynamic resizing and layout flexibility may face problems in the future.
To customers, it could be the biggest indication to date that Apple is about to take its next giant leap in hardware. With or without a foldable iPhone next year, the OS framework is already established.
