Apple's iPhone Duo went on sale October 23. It folds out from a 5.4-inch phone to a 7.6-inch screen, and that bigger screen changes how an app should work. A layout stretched to fit just looks like a big phone.
So we rebuilt the UMe Projects app for it. Version 1.1.0 has been on the App Store since October 30. Here's what changed and why it matters if you're shopping for an assumable home.
Search and map, finally at the same time
Shopping for an assumable loan comes down to two questions: where is the home, and what would the payment be?
On a regular phone you bounce between a list and a map to answer them. Unfolded, you get both at once. Homes sit on the left with their assumable rate and estimated monthly payment, and the map sits on the right.
That's the shot at the top of this post, with 1,158 assumable homes across the Phoenix metro on one screen.
One listing, two ways to read it
Folded, a listing works like you'd expect on a phone. You get the photo, the price and the key facts, with the assumed rate and payment pinned at the bottom of the screen.
Unfolded, the numbers get their own column next to the photos:
The assumed rate next to today's rate for a new loan
Principal and interest on each, and the monthly difference
The estimated loan balance and equity gap
The estimated payment with taxes, insurance and HOA
The equity gap is the part most people get wrong about assumptions. It's the difference between the price and the loan balance, and you generally need to cover it with cash or a second loan. It deserves to be on screen while you look at the home, not three taps away.
34 calculators with room to breathe
The app now has 34 calculators, including all of our public tools from the website. It starts with the assumption toolkit: Buyers Guide, Loan Comparison, Savings Snapshot, Assumption Payment, Blended Rate and VA Entitlement.
On the big screen, the calculators use the extra space by putting your inputs on the left and the results on the right. You change a number and watch the answer move without scrolling back and forth.
A new Learn tab
Assumptions are still new to a lot of buyers, and to plenty of agents. The new Learn tab explains how they work from start to finish, and includes an FAQ with 30 answers across 8 topics.
That covers the questions we hear most: which loans can be assumed, how much cash you need, and how long it takes.
Not on a Duo? You still get all of this
This update isn't only for foldables. Version 1.1.0 also brought a new look that matches our website, a rebuilt listing page, the full set of calculators and the Learn tab to every iPhone that runs the app. The Duo just gets the most room to show it.
What this means under the hood
For anyone curious how it works: the app doesn't assume a fixed screen size anymore. It reads the size of the window it actually has and lays itself out from there, whether that's folded, unfolded or sharing the screen. On iPhone Duo, iOS can run two apps side by side, so a fixed layout wasn't going to hold up.
That also sets us up for whatever screen shape comes next.
Get the update
If you already have the app, update to 1.1.0 from the App Store. If you don't, download UMe Projects and start looking at what's out there.
And if you're on a Duo and something looks off, tell me. We'd rather hear it from you than guess.
Payments, balances and equity figures in the app are estimates. Confirm the details with the loan servicer before making a decision.
