Apple Explores Safari Fix for iPhone Duo Outer Display
Apple is exploring a Safari fix to give websites more room on the iPhone Duo’s outer display, where controls crowd content.
The post, which highlights what is new in Safari 27.1, was written by Apple’s Jen Simmons. It also covers how websites adapt to the iPhone Duo’s different screen sizes and folding positions. Simmons said websites currently cannot extend behind the controls on the outer display and that Apple is exploring ways to address that limitation.
The narrow content area was singled out in multiple iPhone Duo reviews, including 9to5Mac’s. Safari’s right-aligned controls take up a significant portion of the outer display’s limited space, leaving websites with an unusually narrow area. In its review, 9to5Mac described the 5.4-inch outer display as awkward in Safari, saying the web is not optimized for the form factor and that the right-aligned controls eat into usable screen real estate.
Simmons wrote that Apple would like to give web designers and developers the ability to design and use that space in more creative ways. She gave the example of extending a header background across the full width of the display. While it might seem there is one obvious way to make that possible, she said there are many possibilities.
She also explained that simply using the HTML viewport meta tag with viewport-fit=cover to extend websites behind Safari’s controls could cause problems. Many websites do not properly account for those areas, she said, potentially leaving important content obscured.
Apple is investigating whether there is a better way to accomplish the same result, something more foolproof and perhaps easier for developers to use, according to the post. Simmons invited developers to share ideas and said Apple would provide more information later. Web developers can read the full WebKit post for details on how to submit feedback.
Editor's Summary
Apple is exploring a Safari change that would let websites use more of the iPhone Duo’s outer display, after reviewers said right-aligned controls leave too little room for content. Apple’s Jen Simmons said the company is investigating a more foolproof approach than simply extending pages behind the controls, and invited developer feedback.