An unreleased iOS 4 multitasking interface has been demonstrated in an emulator more than 15 years after Apple tested the design. IT之家 reported on November 13, 2026, citing AppleInsider and a video shared by developer Steve Troughton-Smith on Mastodon.
The video shows iOS 4 build 8A218 running in a fork of QEMU. It is slightly later than build 8A216, which was found on an iPhone 4 prototype in 2011. AppleInsider had reported in early 2010 that Apple was testing an Exposé-like overview of open apps, but the interface had not previously been publicly demonstrated.
In the video, open apps appear as cards in a nine-position grid. Double-pressing the Home button brings up the overview so a user can select an app without scrolling through a list. The design differs from the drawer-style app switcher that iPhones used before the card-based interface familiar today.
According to the report, the rare build is thought to have come from a prototype device rather than an Apple internal restore package. A root file system extracted from a development device or iPhone prototype was brought up in QEMU with help from ChatGPT. Troughton-Smith credited AI-assisted emulator development for making it possible to run older iOS builds.
Source: ithome.com (originally published 2026-11-13 22:23 UTC+8)