The iPhone Duo hasn’t even gone on pre-order yet, and someone already figured out the perfect app for it. Not a productivity tool, not an AI assistant. A Walkman. A virtual, cassette-flipping, static-crackling Walkman. And honestly? It’s brilliant.
Indie developer Vidit Bhargava built Duo-Man at the Bitrig hackathon this past weekend, where it took second place. The concept is simple but genuinely clever. According to TechCrunch, the app uses both of the Duo’s screens in a way that feels purpose-built for the hardware. You open the foldable to browse your music and “insert” a cassette tape on the 7.6-inch inner display. Then you close the phone, and the 5.4-inch outer screen takes over while your music plays. It mirrors exactly how a real Walkman works. Open to load, shut to listen.
But Bhargava didn’t stop at just replicating the visual. He recorded actual button clicks and static noise from a physical Walkman and baked those sounds into the app. That’s the kind of obsessive detail that separates a fun demo from something people actually want to use. The developer told TechCrunch he’s been a long-time Walkman fan and still listens to one occasionally. When he was brainstorming hackathon ideas, he looked for physical objects with a hinge. The Walkman’s cassette door was the obvious match.
The app blew up after he posted about it on X, pulling in over 1.8 million views and nearly 10,000 likes. That response pushed Bhargava to take Duo-Man beyond a weekend project. The full release will support Apple Music and local files, and will include an Apple Pencil feature that lets you physically “roll” the cassette loop with the stylus. Fast-forward and rewind are being designed to feel like the real thing. Spotify support might come later.
This matters beyond the novelty factor. Foldable phones have existed for years on Android, but they’ve always struggled to find apps that actually justify the form factor. The iOS developer community is different. Apple’s tools make it easier to build, ship, and make money from apps, which is why so many developers still target iPhone first. Bhargava’s app is a great example of what happens when creative developers get early access to new hardware and run with it.
There’s also a bigger trend here. Younger consumers are actively chasing retro tech right now. Digital cameras, CDs, flip phones, and yes, cassette tapes are all having a moment. Duo-Man fits right into that wave. When the Duo ships, it’ll have a lot to prove. This tiny, nostalgic app might be its most charming argument yet.