Foldtype is built around one rule: the text you type on the iPhone Duo only moves forward, with no cut, copy or paste. Corrections are limited to correction fluid, a pen and a highlighter, and developer Tevong You says unfolding the phone turns the inner screen into the page and the keys.
Foldtype is free on the App Store, with extra typewriters and writing tools sold as in-app purchases. Apple includes it in its story on great iPhone Duo apps.
Foldtype only lets your text move forward
Because you cannot go back and rework a sentence, Foldtype suits first drafts and writer’s block. Halfpage has a similar idea in a hard mode that removes backspace, and Foldtype builds the whole app around it.
You can hide the on-screen keys and type on a physical mechanical keyboard, and you move around the page by pinching to zoom.
What you can do with a finished page
- Mark up the page with Apple Pencil in the read and annotate mode
- Play back your typing as an animation you can share
Four typewriters cost $1.99 each
The developer says Foldtype has five typewriters with real typing sounds. The four paid ones are Mint Mariner 60, Red Brothers 220, Ivory Fairfax de Luxe and Vintage Bramwell No. 3, at $1.99 each.
New sheets cost $4.99, and the pen and highlighter tools cost $2.99 with a free trial. Halfpage costs $2.99 once and Post Club costs $4.99, while Foldtype is free to download and charges for its extras.
Foldtype also runs on iPad and Mac
The same app also works on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision, and on Mac with Apple silicon as an iPad app. You can join an email waitlist on the developer’s site for Foldtype Penpals, a feature that is coming soon.
Foldtype is in English, takes 91.2 MB of storage and needs iOS 17.0 or later, and the developer says it collects no data.
