As Apple announced, devs can already get access to test builds of iOS 27, as well as the other operating systems for other device form factors. The iPhone one is being mentioned here specifically, because some have dove straight into it the moment it became available. Some have shared findings that essentially confirm that an Apple foldable is indeed already on the way. Definitely more so than dummies and cases, even if your mileage may vary.
One Sam Henri Gold has shared such findings on his X account, which include references like “foldState” and “angleDegrees” within the iOS 27 framework. There’s also a check to get the “total count of built-in displays”. Your average device with only one screen would probably not need any of these, which indicates the nature of what these lines are meant for. Separately, 9to5Mac corroborates the claim that these are new to the developer frameworks and code of iOS 27, specifying that they were not present in iOS 26.
Previously, the foldable iPhone was rumoured to debut later this year. This would line up with the usual iPhone launch season in September, even if its availability may get pushed a couple of months further back. Either way, this would still line up with the launch of iOS 27 to the general public. With that in mind, it would probably be immensely easier to pre-empt the launch of the foldable device and include code for it within the similarly upcoming mobile operating system version, rather than leaving them out of the developer beta and dropping it all at once when the device is properly revealed.
Of course, whether all of this actually happens as the rumours indicate, or unforeseen circumstances push the reveal back even further, we’ll have to wait for Apple to make the announcement. As mentioned, the fruit company usually reveals the iPhones of the year in September, so that’s probably when we find out for real.
(Source: Sam Henri Gold / X, 9to5Mac)
