If you have ever wondered what the future foldable iPhone might look like in action, an early peek has arrived thanks to someone who managed to run iPadOS 26 on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Yes, it sounds wild, but it gives us a surprisingly realistic glimpse into how Apple could merge both platforms as the company gets closer to launching its first foldable device.
A First Look at iPadOS Multitasking on iPhone 17 Pro Max
The biggest reason this experiment is catching attention is simple. Apple redesigned multitasking in iPadOS 26, likely to prepare for the inner display of the upcoming foldable iPhone launching next year. Running iPadOS 26 on the iPhone 17 Pro Max unofficially gives us a preview of how these multitasking features might operate on a much smaller, phone-sized screen.
The setup comes from Duy Tran, who posted a video on X showing the iPhone booted into iPadOS. According to him, the installation was possible due to an exploit that Apple has reportedly patched in iOS and iPadOS 26.2. The result is surprisingly smooth multitasking, full windowing, and a UI that looks more natural than you’d expect on a phone.
What This Means for the Upcoming Foldable iPhone
Apple’s foldable, rumored to be called iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, is expected to launch next fall alongside iOS 27. Because the inside display is roughly iPad mini size, it makes sense that the company is preparing an upgraded version of multitasking specifically for that form factor. Seeing iPhone 17 Pro Max running iPadOS 26 today feels like an unofficial test run for what Apple themselves may reveal next year.
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Will these multitasking changes come to standard iPhones? Probably not. Apple is known for keeping premium features exclusive to premium models. But Apple sometimes surprises us, so there is always a chance some of the improvements introduced for the foldable could trickle down to the rest of the lineup.
A Fun Hack, but Also a Hint of the Future
Even though this experiment relies on software vulnerabilities that Apple has already patched, it shows how close iPhone hardware is to handling more advanced multitasking. This might not be an official feature, but it feels like an early look at where Apple is heading.
And if the foldable rumors are true, we may not have to wait long to see Apple’s real version of this idea.
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