WindowsiOS turns a foldable iPhone into a Windows desktop experiment

Fold an iPhone halfway and imagine Windows on the upper screen, with a keyboard and trackpad below. Ammaar Reshi’s WindowsiOS presents that pocket-computer experiment in an open-source project. Its technical description appeared on November 11 in Beijing time. A November 12 commit added a shortcut for Microsoft Paint, another small step toward treating the device like a miniature desktop.

There is substantial open-source work underneath. WindowsiOS credits Henge, whose own project brings macOS to iPhones and iPads using an instruction translator, software memory management and emulated devices. Henge describes replaying graphics through Metal and adapting touch input to desktop gestures. Its documentation also lists limitations, including unsuccessful Apple Account sign-in, possible rendering problems and performance below that of a real Mac.

Windows requires its own accommodation. Sharing a processor architecture does not make two operating systems interchangeable. Picture a resident moving into a building where the addresses, switches and pipes are all in unfamiliar places. A compatibility layer supplies the arrangement that the resident expects. Reshi says Gemini 4 Carbon helped develop the Windows-specific work. The upstream engine remains part of the foundation rather than disappearing behind the AI contribution.

The supplied workflow also changes the guest system. It starts from a retail Windows image and removes or disables more than 35 components, including Defender and background services. This is a slimmed experimental installation. Reshi describes its speed as near-native; the project requires an Apple Silicon Mac, development tools and debugger assistance. Those conditions put it in the hands of experimenters, with tradeoffs that include the protection lost when security components are disabled.

The appeal is easy to understand without declaring the phone a laptop replacement. A folding screen can divide display and input surfaces or become one larger canvas. Whether that arrangement supports sustained work depends on the applications, stability and comfort of entering text. WindowsiOS offers a concrete example of an individual combining AI assistance with existing engineering to explore that arrangement. A working desktop is an interesting starting point; a dependable daily workstation is a larger undertaking.

Original project description published: November 11, 2026, 07:58 Beijing time / November 10, 2026, 6:58 PM EST. Paint shortcut update: November 12, 2026, 11:25 Beijing time / November 11, 2026, 10:25 PM EST.