iOS 27.3 beta: what's new for iPhone Duo

Apple released the first iOS 27.3 developer beta on Tuesday, Nov 3, and the headline change for iPhone Duo owners is Reachability for the wide outer screen. It's a beta for registered developers, not a public update: iOS 27.2 is still the current release, and MacRumors reports Apple says iOS 27.3 reaches everyone in December.

Reachability comes to iPhone Duo

iOS 27.3 beta 1 brings Reachability to iPhone Duo, according to MacRumors. Instead of pulling the top of the screen down, as it does on other iPhones, the Duo version shifts content sideways so the far side of the screen is easier to reach, 9to5Mac reports.

With iPhone Duo closed, a short swipe on the left or right edge slides the outer display's content in that direction, per MacRumors. The two outlets disagree on the setting. MacRumors says the toggle lives in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Reachability and is on by default after updating. 9to5Mac gives the path as Settings > Accessibility > Reachability and describes it as something you enable, without saying whether it's on by default, so check that toggle if the swipe does nothing.

MacRumors' first beta announcement still listed iPhone Duo Reachability as missing, but its later, dedicated Reachability report says it's in beta 1, and this guide follows that later report. As with any beta feature, the gesture, its default and its place in Settings could change before release.

This targets a complaint that came up in launch coverage. Mrwhosetheboss found the far side of the closed screen a little out of reach (see our summary of his review), and Tom's Guide's Scott Younker, who is left-handed, wrote that the setup isn't great for left-hand use and that people with smaller hands will struggle to reach across. Apple told Tom's Guide in October that Reachability features would arrive later this year. More on the verdicts in our launch reviews roundup.

StandBy from iPhone Duo spreads to other iPhones

The second Duo-related change runs the other way. iOS 27.3 beta 1 brings the StandBy features that first appeared on iPhone Duo to iPhone 11 and newer, MacRumors reports, adding that the expansion covers all iPhone models compatible with the update, according to Apple.

That means updated Analog and Digital Clock faces with more color and complication options, new Calendar and Weather faces, a Photos face that can show Shared Albums, and multiple versions of each face that you can swipe between, per MacRumors and 9to5Mac. These are beta features, so the faces and the list of supported models could change before release.

One trick appears to stay Duo-only. MacRumors notes that iPhone Duo can run StandBy folded like a book or tent even when it isn't charging, and the report doesn't say that comes to other models, where StandBy still needs charging and landscape orientation.

Other notable changes in iOS 27.3 beta 1

As with everything in a beta, these features could change or be pulled before release; Apple already pulled the Health redesign from iOS 27.2 before it shipped, per MacRumors.

Safari gains vertical tabs, which move the tab bar to the left side and can widen to show site titles, plus an adaptive dark mode that darkens bright sites lacking their own dark design, which you can turn on for all sites or site by site, MacRumors reports. MacRumors notes that vertical tabs suit the larger display on iPhone Duo.

Siri AI can now complete tasks in and across more apps, including Calendar, Mail, Messages, Notes, Photos, Reminders and Safari, and it adds Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish and Norwegian, per MacRumors. In Mail, for example, Siri can unsubscribe you from mailing lists.

The redesigned Health app appears to be back, too. Apple tested it in the iOS 27.2 beta and removed it before iOS 27.2 shipped, and MacRumors' dedicated Health report and 9to5Mac both say it returns in iOS 27.3 beta 1, with an Insights tab, a Longevity tab and a Health Age estimate. MacRumors' initial beta announcement listed the Health app as still missing, so this guide follows the later, more specific reports. MacRumors says the new app requires an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone.

Elsewhere, select Apple Intelligence features are available in China through the beta using Alibaba's Qwen model, MacRumors reports, and 9to5Mac lists new Gym Strength workouts for Apple Fitness+.

How to get the iOS 27.3 beta, and the catch

The current public release is iOS 27.2, according to Apple's security releases page; our iOS 27.2 guide covers that update. iOS 27.3 beta 1 is for registered developers, who can opt in under Settings > General > Software Update, MacRumors says. Apple hasn't released a public beta yet, and 9to5Mac expects one within days.

Apple's developer releases page lists iOS 27.3 beta as build 24C5037i, dated November 3, 2026. On timing, MacRumors reports that Apple said iOS 27.3 will be released to the public in December.

Apple's beta program FAQ warns that beta software "may contain errors or inaccuracies," and Apple recommends backing up first and installing only on non-production devices that are not business critical. Going back to a release version means restoring the backup you made before installing, per the same FAQ, and Apple Watch can't be rolled back once its beta is installed.

We think most owners should skip this one if iPhone Duo is their only phone. A buggy beta on the device you rely on for calls, banking and two-factor codes is a bigger cost than waiting for the public release, which MacRumors reports Apple expects in December.

What's still missing

Not everything Apple promised for iOS 27 is here. Siri's ability to understand the full content of a webpage is coming later and isn't in the first beta, according to MacRumors. MacRumors' beta announcement also listed the Safari feature that fixes weak or compromised passwords with Apple Intelligence among iOS 27 features still to come.

The Health app's planned Quest Diagnostics lab panel, which MacRumors says will cost $119 (as of Nov 3, 2026), is described as coming eventually, per MacRumors. In China, MacRumors says Siri AI and the newer iOS 27 Apple Intelligence features aren't included.

Beta features can change or be removed before release, so treat everything above as provisional. We'll update this guide as new betas land. Until then, our iPhone Duo tips cover what you can do on iOS 27.2 today.