Apple Pencil support is working on the iPhone Duo in the iOS 27.2 release candidate. Apple only said the feature was coming later this year when it announced the foldable, so this is earlier than its wording suggested.
Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach said on X that Apple Pencil support is part of iOS 27.2 and that it works on the release candidate Apple seeded on Monday. His photo shows an Apple Pencil in hand and handwriting across the iPhone Duo’s inner display, with drawing tools along the bottom of the screen.
Apple Pencil support is with iOS 27.2 btw
iOS 27.2 RC rolled out Monday, and it works https://t.co/tt3QQbjkZv
— Max Weinbach (@mweinbach) October 21, 2026
iOS 27.2 should bring Apple Pencil to the iPhone Duo next week
Apple’s September announcement said the iPhone Duo will support Apple Pencil with USB-C, letting people jot notes, draw or annotate documents on whichever screen they are using. Apple did not say which software update would carry it.
iOS 27.2 is expected to roll out to everyone next week, though Apple has not announced a date. The iOS 27.2 release candidate is normally the last build before the public release. Apple has pulled features at this stage before, as it did with the redesigned Health app in iOS 27.2 beta 4.
Apple has also promised Siri AI in five more languages in October, which gives iOS 27.2 a deadline of its own. Anyone who buys an iPhone Duo on launch day will need to update to iOS 27.2 before the Apple Pencil works, since the foldable ships with iOS 27.1.
Only the Apple Pencil with USB-C works on the iPhone Duo
Apple Pencil with USB-C is the only model Apple has named for the iPhone Duo. That stylus pairs and charges over a cable. The Apple Pencil Pro does not work with the iPhone Duo, and Apple reportedly could not fit the Pro’s charging mount into the fold mechanism.
The iPhone Duo does not include a Pencil in the box. It comes with the phone and a 1-meter USB-C cable, so the Apple Pencil with USB-C is a separate purchase.
Pencil hover is still unconfirmed. Code found in iOS 27 earlier pointed to a hover path built for the iPhone Duo, but Weinbach’s post does not say whether hover is switched on in iOS 27.2.
iPhone Duo is the first iPhone to support Apple Pencil
No earlier iPhone has worked with Apple Pencil. The iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch inner display, which Apple calls the largest iPhone display it has made, and a 5.4-inch outer display for when the phone is closed.
Pre-orders opened Friday, October 16, and the iPhone Duo goes on sale Friday, October 23.
