TL; DR
- Early iPhone Duo owners are reporting inner screen cracks along the hinge, in some cases within hours of use.
- Apple has acknowledged the issue, saying it affects a small number of units and advising affected customers to contact AppleCare for a replacement.
- Bloomberg has independently verified reports from more than half a dozen customers, while iFixit suspects a failing hinge component could be cracking the display from underneath.
The iPhone Duo went on sale on 23 October, and by the following day, owners in Australia, the US, Canada, and China had begun posting photos of cracked inner screens. The failures appear to follow a similar pattern: a crack develops along the hinge line, often accompanied by a band of bright or stuck pixels on one half of the display.
Bloomberg has since independently verified the issue with more than half a dozen customers who shared photos of their damaged devices or evidence of their conversations with Apple Support. Several owners reported hearing a crunching sound while unfolding the phone, followed by a crack along the center crease. Others noticed unusual resistance from the hinge before the display failed.
One of the more detailed accounts came from a buyer in Australia who posted on r/iPhoneDuo. He wrote:
“Had my iPhone Duo for about six hours and had probably opened it fewer than 20 times. I was showing it to a friend, and as I opened it, I felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen. As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge. There were no marks or damage on the inner screen’s surface or the external hinge to suggest anything had been caught or damaged.”
He said Apple Support offered an express replacement, which required a hold for the full cost of the phone and came with no clear timeline. He decided to visit an Apple Store instead, where staff replaced the device on the spot. Subreddit moderators later said they had reviewed additional photos and Apple documentation and had reasonably verified the claim.
Another owner in the US described a similar failure in a post titled “Didn’t even make it through setup before I had the screen crack.” The screen reportedly cracked after roughly four folds. The hinge felt tight before making a loud pop. The user drove to an Apple Store in Dallas, where staff replaced the phone immediately and said it was the first such case they had seen that day.
A third owner, in a post titled “Not even 24 hours,” reported that the screen cracked after the phone had been sitting closed while charging. The owner said the device had never been dropped and that they had not pressed on the inner display while folding it. Apple agreed to replace the phone, although the store did not have a replacement unit available immediately.
An Indian owner has also reported a similar failure. Vishnu Rajkumar said on X that his iPhone Duo developed the cracked-screen issue and that he reported it to the store team the previous night. He waited for the team to respond, but by the time he followed up, similar cases had already surfaced online.
Rajkumar said Apple had replaced affected units in other cases within hours, but his experience in India was different. According to his post, the response was that there was no stock available and he would have to wait for the next allotment. He also questioned whether Indian customers were receiving the same treatment as buyers elsewhere.
Photos shared across these threads and other posts on r/iPhoneDuo show cracks running along the same section of the hinge in many cases. Several also show a bright horizontal line of pixels extending across one side of the screen. Some users have speculated that a hinge component could be pressing against the display from underneath, but Apple has not confirmed any specific cause.
Apple Acknowledges the Issue
Apple has now acknowledged the reports, telling Bloomberg that it is “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units.”
The company advised affected customers to contact AppleCare for a replacement. Apple also said most iPhone Duo units are unaffected and that the affected devices exhibit the defect quickly.
Apple’s response comes as more owners report similar failures across different markets. Several customers who visited Apple Stores received replacement devices on the same day. Others have encountered limited inventory or delays in securing a replacement, with some being asked to send their phones in and wait for another unit.
Bloomberg reported that Apple employees had not received official guidance about the problem at the time of its initial publication. However, a team was investigating the issue, and Apple engineers were attempting to obtain affected devices for analysis in some cases.
One customer, Justin Lokos, said Apple conducted an Early Field Failure Analysis on his device before replacing it at the company’s Fifth Avenue store in New York. Other customers said Apple Store employees were surprised by the damage and asked whether they would be willing to speak with Apple’s engineering team.
What Is Causing the Screen to Crack?
The repeated pattern of damage has raised questions about the iPhone Duo’s hinge and the components beneath its inner display. Repair platform iFixit believes a failing hinge component could be responsible for the cracks. The theory is that a piece of the hinge may be breaking and damaging the screen from underneath, rather than the display panel failing on its own.
This would be consistent with accounts from owners who reported feeling a bump or loose component beneath the display shortly before the screen cracked. Several other people also described the hinge suddenly becoming stiffer during opening, followed by an audible crunch or crack.
How Widespread Is the Problem?
It is too early to determine how widespread the issue is. The iPhone Duo has only been available for a couple of days, and the number of confirmed cases remains small compared with the number of units shipped so far.
Owners whose devices develop this problem during normal use should be covered by the standard one-year warranty. Those who want to return their phones also have the usual 14-day return window in most markets.
Unfortunately, India does not have the same general 14-day return period for iPhone purchases – you will likely get a replacement since the issue has now been officially acknowledged by Apple. The immediate concern is whether Apple can make replacement units available quickly. Even if the issue affects only a small number of devices, waiting for the next stock allotment makes an already frustrating situation harder to deal with.
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