iPhone Duo will add Reachability feature ‘later this year’

iPhone Duo launches this Friday (read our full review here), but there’s one software feature Apple says won’t be ready until later this year: Reachability.

Reachability on iPhone Duo will bring UI within reach horizontally rather than vertically

Reachability is an iPhone feature first introduced back in 2014 with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Alongside the iPhone getting larger than ever, the new software feature let users more easily reach elements near the top of the display.

Today you can use Reachability by swiping down on the bottom of the iPhone. This gesture causes the interface to move down vertically, closer to your reach.

And with iPhone Duo, Apple reportedly plans to offer a new version of Reachability that brings content within reach horizontally rather than vertically.

Per Julian Chokkattu at WIRED:

Apple plans to add Reachability later this year for the Duo, letting folks with small hands more easily access the left or right edges of the screen with a tap.

One concern some users have had about iPhone Duo is that both the outer and inner displays are wider than on other iPhones. The UI also clearly favors right-handed use, as 9to5Mac’s Chance Miller confirmed in his review.

It sounds like for anyone who struggles to reach interface elements along the left or right edge of the device, iPhone Duo’s forthcoming Reachability feature should help.

Are you worried about one-handed iPhone Duo use, and does the prospect of Reachability ease your concerns? Let us know in the comments.

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