Apple acknowledges iPhone Duo screen cracks; company says: “If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they...”

Apple has acknowledged that some iPhone Duo units are dealing with a cracked inner display, days after early buyers began sharing photos of screens breaking along the hinge. The company says the problem affects “a small number of iPhone Duo units” and has asked users facing it to contact AppleCare for a replacement.Complaints began piling up on Reddit and social media soon after Apple’s first foldable went on sale on October 23. The damage looks almost identical across reports, with a vertical crack down the crease and a bright white band of dead pixels on the right side of the screen. For a device that costs Rs 2,99,900 in India, that is a rough start.Apple says the iPhone Duo display issue affects only a small number of unitsIn its statement provided to The Verge, Apple called the early response to the iPhone Duo “incredibly positive” and pointed to developers quickly updating their apps for its folding design. It did not say what is causing the cracks or how many units are affected.The most detailed account comes from an owner in Melbourne, Australia, who had the phone for about six hours and had opened it fewer than 20 times. While showing it to a friend, they felt something odd around the hinge underneath the screen, then heard an audible crack. The Apple Store replaced the unit on the spot, and the technician reportedly called it a day one manufacturing error.A Dallas owner says the hinge felt tight after about four folds, and pushing past it ended in a loud pop before setup was done. Images from Chinese social media, where the foldable reached buyers first, show damage in nearly the same spot, though some involve demo units with unknown histories.Sand, dirt and backward bends expose the iPhone Duo hinge’s weak spotsA durability test by YouTuber JerryRigEverything offers some clues. Piling sand and dirt into the phone eventually jammed the hinge, so it no longer closed fully. Bending it backwards left line faults on the inner display, though the hinge stopped it from snapping in half. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 kept its inner screen working after a similar test.Apple has also published a support page for hinge trouble, covering unexpected noises, a loose hinge and a device that won’t close fully. Hinge failures from normal use should fall under the one-year warranty, and buyers get 14 days to return the phone.Getting a replacement could be the harder part. Pre-orders sold out within minutes, and delivery dates now stretch to late January 2027. If that “small number” grows, swaps may not be as quick as the one in Melbourne.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.