Portal

We believe the best experiences are shaped by little details that quietly make the world of difference.

This update brings refinements to iPhone Duo, improvements to playback and smart lighting, iOS 27.2 compatibility and a handful of small subtle improvements that make everything feel seamless.

*What’s new in v4.1.1*

- A more seamless Duo experience: Added a new transition when opening iPhone Duo from the Now Playing screen, alongside additional layout refinements.
- Live Activities improvements: Refined the design and fixed an issue that could prevent Live Activities from starting.
- A little more control: Added a Pomodoro Timer shortcut and new App Intents options to choose whether timers run in the foreground or background.
- Smoother playback: Improved playback on slower connections, with refinements to make your experience more reliable.
- More helpful guidance: Portal now provides guidance when visuals, audio or lighting are temporarily unavailable, helping you understand what’s happening and how to get things working again.
- Improved smart lighting: More reliable HomeKit lighting connections.
- Under-the-hood refinements: Fixed issues with cancelling audio downloads, managing audio sessions when returning to Portal from the background, and compatibility with iOS 27.2.

As always, thank you for all your feedback and bug reports. The time, effort and care to drop us a line is certainly not lost on us and we’re incredibly grateful.

Andy, Nick & Stu

*Previously in v4.1.0*

Sometimes, all it takes is opening a window. In an instant, the world beyond our walls feels a little closer.

For 8 years, we’ve been working to bring that feeling to our devices. And then iPhone Duo came along, with the physical act of opening a window built into the hardware itself.

A window to the world, in your pocket.

What’s new

- iPhone Duo support: open up new horizons with an experience designed around Duo’s unique form factor. Whether closed, unfolded, seated, or standing - Portal’s Focus and Pomodoro Timers, Sleep Timer and Wake Up Alarm have been thoughtfully redesigned to perfectly fit all of the Duo’s various poses.
- A more immersive Library: a simplified design brings the places you love closer, with refined layouts and smoother transitions.
- Smoother navigation: refined animations and transitions make exploring Portal feel more fluid.
- Design refinements: improvements throughout the app, including better support for Dynamic Type.
- Playback and environment controls: further refinements to help you make your experience your own.
- Performance improvements: image loading, caching and playback refinements for a smoother, more reliable experience.

8 years ago, we chose the name Portal because we believed in the magic of opening a window to somewhere else. We’ve spent all this time trying to live up to it, finding new ways to bring the natural world a little closer to home.

Seeing that idea take on a new, more tangible form with iPhone Duo is a special moment. Thank you for being part of the journey, for sharing in what we’re building, and for reminding us why it matters.

We hope you enjoy jumping into the fold,

Andy, Nick & Stu