Sep 9, 2026, 10:39 PMI think that, maybe, asking iOS developers to redesign their apps in only a month (for the sake of a niche device that almost no users will own) is a tall order (after asking developers to redesign their apps just last summer).
The more I think about this, the more I think Apple is being unrealistic. I think it will bite them. But I’ve been wrong about this kind of thing before.
Sep 9, 2026, 10:50 PMReact Native’s support for UIScene was merged only two weeks ago, and is currently in an RC. That means developers creating a new React Native app *today* won’t even have a resizable app. They also won’t be able to submit their app with Xcode 27 because iOS will crash it at launch.
I don’t know about the state of affairs on Flutter. But I generally don’t think that developers using cross-platform tools tend to give much weight to what Apple wants them to do.
The iPhone Duo needs apps to actually conform to its affordances, in order to deliver on the UX that its price tag implies. I suspect this will go very poorly.
Sep 9, 2026, 11:04 PM“Welcome to React Native! BTW you need to upgrade to this prerelease version or YOUR APP DIES.”
I’m professionally qualified to say this is “typical of React Native”, and “lol“, and also “lmao”
Sep 15, 2026, 10:57 AMFollow-up: someone asked for an update from Expo yesterday about their UIScene support, now that iOS 27 is out publicly. (Expo is how many mobile apps use React Native).
The Expo project has locked the issue. Which is probably smart! Since developers are probably angry their apps are crashing. But it would have been smarter to fix this in the six years leading up to yesterday. Apple said at WWDC 2025 that this migration would be required soon, so even a year ago would have been prudent.
Sep 15, 2026, 11:03 AMI don’t like ragging on OSS contributors, but Expo sells services as a part of their whole deal. I think it’s fair game here.
This SDK is the foundation they’ve built their business on, it’s the foundation they’ve been inviting developers to build their apps on for a decade, and there’s been a crack growing in it for six years.
And unlike a normal React Native app where devs could do the UIScene migration themselves, Expo apps *have* to wait for the project to release a new update. That is the value prop of Expo: it’s easier.
Sep 9, 2026, 10:44 PM@ashfurrow I don't think this device is a Vision Pro situation. Even in my real life circles of not-so-techy folks I know multiple people who will be buying the iPhone Duo, which makes me suspect it will not be as niche as you'd think.
Sep 9, 2026, 10:53 PM@jonah I don’t think it needs to be a flop to be niche. It could sell very well but still be a fraction of all iPhones in use.
I’m not worried it will fail to sell. I’m worried the customers who buy it will feel burned by a poor app experience.
@ashfurrow Yes, More bad publicity for Expo and React Native this week...
I fixed my Expo app using a config plugin. If anybody is in need for a fix for theirs, feel free to copy: https://git.ullrich.is/trails-cool/trails/pulls/151
Now waiting for Apple to drop Xcode 27.1 beta so I can finally see what else is broken on the Duo.
This device is coming in a little to hot for my liking...
Sep 15, 2026, 11:09 AM@ashfurrow lol at my PR from 2019 https://github.com/react/react-native/pull/25425
Sep 15, 2026, 11:15 AM@radex wow! what a shame, but good on you for pushing this 🤝
Sep 16, 2026, 3:01 AM@ashfurrow to be fair: the issue is locked because the (merged PR) with UIScene support the issue links to has a lot more information.
That issue would totally blow up if it wasn’t locked.
I agree they were super late, but your post did give me the impression that no work has yet been done and the issue was locked. That was the wrong impression as a PR adding support was in-fact merged (super late in the game): https://github.com/expo/expo/pull/50191
Sep 16, 2026, 2:32 PM@pilif it was merged after my post. And the issue blowing up is why I said locking it was probably the right call 👍
@ashfurrow I think we once had an argument on Twitter, around 2016 or 2017, about the limitations of RN and the glass ceiling it imposes on unsuspecting developers. Are you no longer a fan? I was at Wix at the time, which is/was a big contributor to the ecosystem, and these issues have been cropping up for many years now. iPhone X support (safe areas) was for years a ridiculously dumb and broken impl in RN.
Sep 15, 2026, 11:06 PM@LeoNatan that sounds like me 😅 My stance on RN now is that it’s theoretically possible to create a great app, but it’s not likely. I used to get caught up in this debate personally, which is on me to be fair. Native iOS developers can be dismissive of anyone using RN and assume they don’t care about quality. But I have always cared.
I recently gave a conference talk on this, and I’m just waiting for the video to get uploaded. I’ll send it over if you’re interested?
@ashfurrow Heh, if we’re honest, a lot don’t care. You can take a quick look at how Flutter developers are responding to Duo, for example. Every native iOS developer is worried how much work is required, but Flutter devs are “eh, it’s so simple lol”. And those that do care get a glass ceiling, making it very difficult to push for great results. Sure, send once you have it.
Sep 21, 2026, 4:36 PM@LeoNatan here it is: https://youtu.be/UCimuzlrbcc
@ashfurrow Good talk. I saw the erosion you felt over time in many of our native engineers. I had the privilege to just not touch RN, but I was in a special team.
Just looked at RN.
https://github.com/react/react-native/commit/7bfe32fd331449270eafc5f0d71bade125097d59
They merged the UIScene support. But, of course:
> Scene-based apps must keep `UIApplicationSupportsMultipleScenes` set to `false` in Info.plist.
🤦♂️
Sep 21, 2026, 9:00 PM@LeoNatan Appreciate that.
I don’t like bringing up my immigration status (because I had it easy compared to many others). But if I had wanted to leave Artsy, I’d have had thirty days to find a new job or leave the country. It was not an easy decision, and not one I really embraced: https://ashfurrow.com/blog/swift-vs-react-native-feels/
@ashfurrow Oh no, that’s terrible. Yeah, US immigration laws are ridiculous. What I meant before was that decision-makers should also be aware of what effects choosing to move to RN has on existing and future native engineers. This is often overlooked or ignored by product and upper management. This was my experience in the company I worked in. Complaints fell on deaf ears, and there was a lot of frustration.
@ashfurrow I believe Android has had resizable activities for over a decade and applications still don't handle it correctly. I don't think Apple's gonna make it magically work.
Sep 10, 2026, 6:23 AM@ashfurrow To be fair, we’ve known for a year that UIScene would become mandatory with iOS 27, so I guess it’s not really Apple’s fault.
Sep 10, 2026, 12:14 PM@emix totally! Apple has been telling developers to do this migration for… six years?? This one is RN’s fault entirely.
My point is more that Apple is leaning heavily on developers to bring value to their new device, and I’m not sure that will happen the way they need it to.
Sep 10, 2026, 12:22 PM@ashfurrow I agree. It was the same with Vision Pro actually.
@ashfurrow Flutter has defaulted to UIScene since February. A simple rebuild on Xcode 27.0 should get us resizing on Duo.
https://docs.flutter.dev/release/breaking-changes/uiscenedelegate
@ashfurrow @stroughtonsmith is this an indictment of cross platform apps/developers? Or of Apple not considering the actual reality of their platform?
Sep 16, 2026, 2:34 PM@maddox @stroughtonsmith both, I suppose!
I use RN but I want to support the Duo. I’ll have to write my own support for it. I don’t think others will care enough to.
@ashfurrow Apple pretending they're the only people in the universe that matters is just Apple being Apple
@ashfurrow @Aaronvegh What do you mean… I probably will buy it in a couple of weeks. Need to see real reactions first.
@ashfurrow « asking iOS developers to redesign their apps in only a month »
I don't think we need to redesign our apps in a month. All we need to initially do is submit an Xcode 27.0 build so we get resizing.
Sep 10, 2026, 4:42 PM@bruce829 based on Apple’s new design resources and guidelines, I do believe they want more than only resizing. Moving the tab bar to be vertical on the right, for example. But I agree that an Xcode 27 rebuild can get resizing. Thanks for the info about Flutter!
@ashfurrow Oh yeah, I'm still thinking about how to support the side bar!
It looks like iOS will have toolbarVerticalEdge property to let us know when a side bar is present and, hopefully, which side of the screen it's on. (If not, we can check safe area dimensions.) And "reserved space" dimensions will be available to avoid the items at the top.
@ashfurrow Technically it’s more of a wide order given the shape