Some iPhone Duo owners say the folding inner screen has cracked along the hinge within hours of unboxing, usually leaving a bright line of stuck pixels across one half of the display. Apple has now confirmed “an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units” and says AppleCare will replace affected phones, but it hasn’t given a number or a cause. That makes it still too early to say whether “crackgate” is a batch defect or a small run of early failures.
Updated 26 October 2026: added Apple’s statement and replacement offer, and findings from iFixit’s teardown on where, and possibly why, the screens are cracking.
What owners are reporting
The case most often shared comes from an owner in Australia who posted on Reddit on launch day, 23 October. He had used the phone for about six hours and opened it fewer than 20 times when he felt something under the screen near the hinge. “I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge,” he wrote, adding that there were no marks on the screen or the hinge. His local Apple Store replaced the phone on the spot, according to The Verge and MacRumors.
By Sunday 25 October, 9to5Mac had counted about ten unique cases, several posted to the iPhone Duo subreddit. The damage looks the same each time: a crack down the centre line of the hinge, followed by a horizontal block of pixels stuck glowing white. A couple of owners said it happened during first setup. Most got a straight replacement at an Apple Store, but buyers who went through carriers have had a harder time, and one was told the phone must have been dropped.
What Apple says
On 26 October, Apple told 9to5Mac and Bloomberg: “We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement.” Apple says most units aren’t affected, that the fault tends to appear quickly, that AppleCare+ isn’t required and that carrier buyers should go to AppleCare directly. Read our full report on Apple’s response.
Its own iPhone Duo hinge troubleshooting page, published on launch day, lists symptoms including “Bent or broken hinge” and “Unexpected noise while opening or closing the device”. It notes that “there aren’t diagnostics or software remedies for hinge issues” and tells technicians to “replace the inner display assembly” if checks fail.
What iFixit’s teardown found
A teardown published by iFixit on 25 October offers the first engineering clue. iFixit built a 3D model of the hinge from teardown footage, patents and CT scans, then compared it with photos of broken screens. The damage clusters just below the point where the display cable crosses the hinge, where several edges meet and change how the thin screen is supported as it bends. iFixit does not think the accordion-pleated cable itself is to blame.
Its leading hypothesis comes from a closing simulation: the centre support bar may fail to drop far enough, so the curved fold of the screen comes down onto it and creates a small stress hotspot near the reported breaks. iFixit presents this as one possible answer, not a confirmed cause. It also points out that the physical damage is probably smaller than it looks, because a tiny fault in the display’s electrical connections can knock out a whole row or column of pixels.
The repair bill is steep. Out-of-warranty damage to the inner screen costs $999 in the US, about half the price of the phone, according to iFixit. Replacing only the nano-texture cover layer costs $49, or $19 with AppleCare. Despite the screen problem, iFixit calls the iPhone Duo the most repairable foldable it has taken apart.
Why it is too early to judge: lessons from earlier gates
Apple has been through this cycle before, and the early numbers have rarely told the full story.
- Antennagate, 2010. Weeks after the iPhone 4 launched, holding it a certain way dropped the signal. At a press conference on 16 July 2010, Steve Jobs said just 0.55 per cent of buyers had called AppleCare about reception, but Apple still handed out free bumper cases. The fault was real, though narrower than the headlines suggested.
- Bendgate, 2014. Viral videos showed the iPhone 6 Plus bending in pockets. Apple said only nine customers had contacted it about a bent phone in the first six days of sales. The next year’s iPhone 6s quietly moved to stronger 7000 series aluminium.
- Butterfly keyboard, 2015 to 2019. Early complaints looked isolated, yet it took until 2018 for Apple to launch a keyboard service programme, and a US class action was later settled for $50 million. Slow-burn faults are the hardest to size early.
- Samsung Galaxy Fold, 2019. Reviewers’ units broke before launch, and Samsung delayed the phone from April to September to reinforce the hinge ends. Apple has no such option, because the iPhone Duo is already with buyers in more than 70 countries and regions.
The pattern cuts both ways. A few dramatic photos can make a rare fault look universal. But a defect tied to one production batch would only show up gradually as more phones reach customers. The real answer lies in Apple’s repair and return data, which it rarely publishes. Earlier this week, a JerryRigEverything durability test also got dust into the hinge, though that was deliberate abuse rather than normal use.
What to do if your iPhone Duo cracks
- Stop folding it and do not force a stiff hinge.
- Photograph the phone, showing there are no impact marks, before you hand it over.
- Contact AppleCare or book an Apple Store appointment. Apple says it will replace affected phones, and you don’t need AppleCare+. If you bought through a carrier, go to AppleCare rather than the carrier.
- In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act gives you 30 days to reject faulty goods for a refund. In the EU, the two-year legal guarantee applies on top of Apple’s warranty.
Why it matters
The iPhone Duo costs £1,999 in the UK and $1,999 in the US, and it goes on sale in 28 more countries and regions on 30 October. Apple’s quick acknowledgement and free replacements will matter more for trust in its first foldable than the number of cracked screens this week. See our iPhone Duo reviews roundup for how the phone fared in testing.