Key takeaways
- Apple sent a memo to Apple Stores and Authorized Service Providers on how to diagnose and fix the cracking inner display of the iPhone Duo. It still calls it “a small number” of units, with no recall and no public repair program.
- Samsung Canada mocked the cracks in a new ad: “Folding is nothing new to us.” Samsung is on its eighth foldable generation; Apple is on its first, seven years later, and the Duo is backordered until January.
- My view: a memo like this is a quiet admission. Apple contradicts itself, hides it from buyers, and turns “sold out” into a success story when it simply can’t make enough.
This week Apple sent a memo to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers with guidance on how to diagnose and address the cracking inner display of the iPhone Duo, MacRumors reports. Technicians should inspect the phone and repair or replace it according to standard procedures. According to MacRumors, the fact that Apple issued an internal memo at all suggests the issue is widespread enough to need official guidance.
The memo repeats Apple’s public line: the issue affects “a small number” of iPhone Duo units, most units are not susceptible, and affected units show the defect quickly after use. There is no recall and no public repair program on Apple’s website. Apple still hasn’t named the cause; iFixit’s teardown points to a defective hinge.
At the same time, Samsung Canada posted ads with a bright line exactly where the Duo cracks: “Folding is nothing new to us”, “Folding. We know a thing or eight.” and “Switch to Galaxy Z Fold8”. Samsung’s first Galaxy Fold went on sale in September 2019. The iPhone Duo, at $1,999, is backordered online until January.
In this article: A memo is an admission · Apple contradicts itself · So afraid of its own phone · Samsung laughs. Apple stays silent · Samsung 2019, Apple 2026 · FAQ
A memo is an admission
Finally we got at least a little more information. Apple sent instructions on how to diagnose the cracks. That means Apple already knows it’s a problem. And I take it this way: for some reason, by issuing that memo, Apple has already admitted to me that it can keep happening.
And there are still fans and commentators who repeat Apple’s “small number” like a mantra and take Apple under their protection. Why don’t they write the obvious? Apple doesn’t make manuals or memos like this just for fun. Apple knows how the media reacts to facts like this, and it knows that what it does quietly always comes out, like this time too.
Waiting for Apple to admit the problem by itself, some time later? I don’t think we will live to see it. They launched the Duo with too much fanfare, and this hurts their reputation more: seven years late to the foldable market, and still not ready. I already asked Apple to show us the number. Nothing.
Apple contradicts itself
Here they really contradict themselves. They keep saying it’s a small number of units, and at the same time they say that defective iPhones show the problem after a short time. Let’s turn our brains on.
For the first time, they themselves don’t know what they are selling, and the memo is now a fact. For God’s sake, Apple, why don’t you tell us the facts? Why don’t you say that some batch is defective? Instead you tell us that if it’s defective, it will show up. You honestly don’t know what you have and what you are assembling, and you are not ready in your own workshops to find the defective units yourselves. How are we supposed to understand that?
You basically spat in our faces and, not out loud, told us we are the testers. Bravo. Wow, what a success.
| What Apple says | What it means |
|---|---|
| “A small number of iPhone Duo units” | No number, but a memo to every store |
| Defective units show the problem quickly | Apple can’t find them before they ship |
| No recall | No public repair program on Apple’s website |
| Contact AppleCare | Only owners who read the news know it |
| “Sold out” until January | Production yields were a problem since September |
So afraid of its own phone
And the most important part: you are so afraid that your own phone will destroy your corporation that you can’t even publish this information, at least on your own website. On your site it’s quiet, on tiptoes.
You don’t even put it in the description when people place their orders, what may be waiting for them. Write the truth: we don’t know ourselves what can happen to your phone, so if you decide to buy it, you get an immediate replacement or a free repair if the display cracks or the hinge fails. But no. They issued a memo and think it’s enough for us.
The whole internet is already full of posts and videos telling people not to rush to buy it. Do you really think that, because you are so rich and big, you can silence everyone? Or don’t you see yourselves how big this is getting?
Samsung laughs. Apple stays silent
And your biggest competitor on the market right now is laughing at you, and you don’t react to that either. Why is everything so bizarre after Tim Cook left?
You have only one sentence: everything is so great, everything is sold out. But I’ll tell you: it’s not sold out. Leave the display dilemma aside, until now you are not able to produce and deliver the Duo in volume. That is the problem. In September there was talk of only 6 to 8 million units because of production yield problems. And you are trying in vain to turn it into an ad in your favor.
Let’s not forget that the first wave of buyers is still waiting for the Duo. That is not a sign of success yet.
Samsung 2019, Apple 2026
People write that Samsung’s first generation cracked too. That’s OK. Samsung showed its first Galaxy Fold in 2019, and its launch was even delayed because review units broke.
But Apple waited seven years, presented the Duo as better than everyone else, and John Ternus called rival foldables “cheap and crappy“. And after the fact, they blew it.
Also on Evolt News: “A small number”? Then show us the number · iFixit points to the hinge · iPhone 18 Pro sales
Photo: A cracked iPhone Duo inner display, shared on Reddit, via MacRumors.
This article is opinion.
iPhone Duo display memo: FAQ
What did Apple tell its stores about the iPhone Duo display?
In an internal memo to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple told technicians how to diagnose the cracking inner display of the iPhone Duo and to repair or replace affected units under standard procedures.
Is there an iPhone Duo recall?
No. Apple says there is no recall and has not launched a public repair program on its website. It says the issue affects a small number of units and that affected units show the defect quickly after use.
What causes the iPhone Duo screen to crack?
Apple has not said. iFixit’s teardown suggests the problem is likely related to a defective hinge on affected units.
What should I do if my iPhone Duo display cracks?
Apple says affected owners should contact AppleCare for a replacement, online or by calling 1-800-APL-CARE in the US and Canada.
What did Samsung say about the iPhone Duo?
Samsung Canada posted ads showing a line where the Duo cracks, with the texts “Folding is nothing new to us”, “Folding. We know a thing or eight.” and “Switch to Galaxy Z Fold8”. The Galaxy Z Fold8 costs $1,899 with 256GB; the iPhone Duo costs $1,999.
Sources: MacRumors, iFixit, Samsung Canada, Apple.
Our Take
Apple doesn’t send a memo to every store for a problem it believes is tiny. The memo is the admission Apple won’t say out loud.
Seven years late, $1,999, and the buyers are the testers. Tell people the truth on your own website, Apple.
