The iPhone XS Max warns the makers of applications

The first surprise I had with the iPhone XS Max was how much I preferred iOS 12 on a much larger screen than the iPhone XS. The second surprise, however, was that not all apps are equal, especially when it comes to getting the most out of a 6.5-inch screen. Although the iPhone XS Max can fill your hand, not all software will fill its screen.

The biggest touch screen offered on an iPhone so far is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, web pages have a lot of real estate to play, rivaling an iPad Mini for what you can see at one time. The videos and games are expansive and bright. even more if they support HDR10 or Dolby Vision, as do the new iPhones.

On the other hand, applications that were not designed with 6.5 inches are very obvious. Switch the Twitter application to landscape orientation, for example, and you get a maximum of two or three tweets at a time; unless they have media attached. All framed by wide white bars of empty space on each side.

Other applications are just … bigger. Perfect, if your main motivation for opting for the iPhone XS Max is poor eyesight – I can see this giant screen as a real bargain – but not if you are looking to use every pixel of the Retina resolution to the fullest. The interfaces designed to be perfectly arranged on a 5.8-inch iPhone XS look on the iPhone XS Max.

This is not exactly a new situation for iOS developers. Apple was content with a 3.5-inch screen for several generations of iPhone, but things began to grow with the iPhone 5. The size of the panels and their format have gradually evolved. combined handset, with the application makers expected to update their software in order to make the most of each successive display.

The iPhone XS Max launches the challenge in the same way as the first "Plus" size phone, the iPhone 6 Plus, in late 2015. Then, iOS developers have been confronted with a multitude of new layout possibilities, including users that more apps would offer landscape orientation interfaces. Apple's software led the way with a two-column user interface in the iPhone's Mail application and a landscape orientation view for the home screen.

As always, there is a stick and a carrot. Apple has set a deadline for developers to have applications designed for the iPhone XS Max screen: by March 2019, all software will need to be built with the iOS 12 SDK and with the largest screen . After that, any new application – or update existing applications – will be rejected.

With the iPhone XR on the horizon, however, I suspect developers will look to exceed the March deadline as much as possible. Apple's third new smartphone for 2018 may not be as big as the iPhone XS Max, but its 6.1-inch is still expansive in terms of iPhone. Since it is widely predicted that it will be the bestseller of the three new devices, this is a considerable audience that expects its favorite software that it gets the most out of every pixel it comes from pay.