Guide
How do you design one app for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android and foldables?
One app can run on every screen, but each screen is used differently. Plan what each one is for, design a real layout for each size, and keep one account and one set of data underneath.
In short
- Phone: the whole app, used in short bursts with one hand.
- Tablet: more on screen at once: side panels, split views, bigger content.
- Foldable: a phone layout closed, a tablet-like layout open, switching without losing your place.
- Watch and widgets: the one thing people want at a glance.
- Web: the same account and data, for desk use and for search.
What is each screen for?
- Metro X (case): the phone runs the metronome; the iPad shows sheet music large enough to play from; the Apple Watch taps the beat on your wrist.
- UVUV (case): the phone has the full app; widgets and the Apple Watch show today's UV and Soli at a glance.
- My Permit Pass (case): practice on the phone, with tablet and foldable layouts that use the wider screen.
- Toree (case): the teacher's week calendar gets room on a tablet, with a day view on the phone.
Do I need a separate design for tablets and foldables?
Yes, if people use them. A phone screen stretched to a tablet wastes space and looks unfinished. Plan at least two layouts: a narrow one for phones and folded screens, and a wide one for tablets and open foldables. Both app stores also ask for screenshots per device type, so the layouts show up in your listing too.
When does an Apple Watch app make sense?
- When one number or one action matters during the day: a beat, a timer, today's UV, the next lesson.
- When people's hands are busy: playing an instrument, cooking, working out.
- Not when the job needs reading or typing; that belongs on the phone.
Native app, web app, or both?
Native apps get notifications, widgets, the watch and the stores. A web app is found through search and works without an install. Many products need both, sharing one account. See app vs website.
A planning checklist
- List the screens your customers actually use.
- Write the one job of each screen.
- Design narrow and wide layouts; check the foldable's open and closed states.
- Pick the glanceable piece for widgets and the watch.
- Prepare store screenshots for every device type.
We design, build, launch and run apps for every screen. See app development.