Apple is investigating changes to Safari that could reclaim more usable space for websites on the iPhone Duo’s wide outer display. The browser currently reserves a side column for its controls, narrowing the page itself even as Safari extends the site’s background color behind the interface.
The issue stems from the display’s wider, shorter proportions compared with a conventional iPhone screen. iOS moves controls to the side to preserve vertical space, but Safari 27.1 stops page content before that control area. Apple is exploring whether developers could use the reserved portion more effectively, such as by extending a header background across the full width of the display.
One existing web tool, viewport-fit="cover", can allow a page to extend into areas that require extra care when positioning content. Developers must still keep text and controls clear of the system interface, however. The WebKit team says many sites do not correctly account for all four screen edges, creating a risk that important elements could be obscured by Safari’s UI.
Apple is therefore looking for an approach that is simpler for developers and less prone to implementation errors, and it is seeking feedback from the web-development community. No timeline has been announced for a Safari change, leaving the outer-display browsing experience as an unresolved part of the iPhone Duo interface.
