iPhone Duo Broken Screen: Apple Responds to 'Crackgate'

Apple's first folding phone has hit its first big problem. Within days of the iPhone Duo going on sale, owners began posting photos of cracked inner screens and bright lines of stuck pixels along the fold, a problem quickly nicknamed "crackgate." On Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, Apple acknowledged "an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units" and told owners to contact AppleCare for a replacement, 9to5Mac reported. Searches for "Apple iPhone Duo broken screen" passed 50,000 in the U.S. on Google Trends, and 404 Media's report on the problem appeared in Google News' U.S. feed. Here is what we know.

What we know

The iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone, went on sale around Oct. 24 for about $2,000, and some buyers waited in line overnight at Apple stores, 404 Media reported. It arrived about seven years after Samsung's first Galaxy Fold, after what iFixit called "fifteen years of patents and rumors."

Reports surfaced on Reddit and other forums over the weekend. Owners describe opening or closing the phone, feeling resistance or hearing a pop near the hinge, and then seeing a small line down the fold and a bright line extending across the display, according to iFixit. One Reddit user quoted by 404 Media said they had the phone "for about six hours and had probably opened it fewer than 20 times" when "I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge." iFixit said one owner reported the problem before even finishing setup.

9to5Mac noted that while many of the Reddit reports are legitimate, there have also been a handful of fake, AI-generated reports.

Apple's statement

Apple's full statement, shared with 9to5Mac, Bloomberg and The Verge:

"The response to iPhone Duo from early users has been incredibly positive, and we are seeing exciting things from developers who are rapidly updating their apps to take advantage of its unique form factor. 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."

An Apple spokesperson told The Verge that most units are not susceptible and that the issue appears quickly on units with the defect. One user in Australia said an Apple Store replaced their unit "on the spot," The Verge reported.

What iFixit found

iFixit published a full teardown of the iPhone Duo on Oct. 25 and examined where the damage occurs. By building a 3D hinge model from teardown footage, patents and CT scans and comparing it with photos of broken screens, it found the breaks cluster just below where the display cable passes through the center of the hinge, at a point where several edges meet and change how the screen is supported as it bends.

"All those edges meeting in this spot mean lots of possible culprits," iFixit wrote. In one simulation, the center support bar fails to drop far enough as the phone closes, and the screen's curved fold comes down onto it, creating a small stress hotspot near the reported break location. iFixit also raised the possibility that the curved rails guiding the hinge could interfere with the screen if they fail to move as intended, 404 Media reported. Neither theory has been confirmed by Apple.

iFixit noted that the visible damage is likely larger than the physical fault: a tiny break in the screen's electrical connections can knock out an entire row or column of pixels.

What about the crease?

Apple fans have called the Duo "creaseless," but iFixit says no foldable has fully solved the crease. The Duo hides it well with a matte nano-texture cover that scatters reflections. With that layer removed, iFixit said, the Duo's crease was "arguably even more visible" than that of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8. 404 Media reported that some owners have posted photos of noticeable creases, while durability tests by YouTubers and journalists have run from 1,000 folds to more than 55,000.

Repairability

Despite the screen problem, iFixit gave the Duo a provisional 5 out of 10 for repairability, the highest score it has given a foldable. It praised the electrically released battery adhesive and an outer screen that is simple to remove. But inner-display damage outside of coverage costs $999, about half the price of the phone, while a replacement of just the nano-texture cover layer costs $49, or $19 with AppleCare.

What to do if your iPhone Duo screen cracks

1. Contact AppleCare through Apple Support or an Apple Store and ask for a replacement, as Apple's statement advises.
2. You do not need AppleCare+ for this issue, according to 9to5Mac.
3. If you bought from a carrier, go to AppleCare, not the carrier, 9to5Mac says.
4. Document the damage with photos and note when it happened, which can help the support conversation.

What's next

1. A root cause. Apple has not said what causes the problem or whether a hardware revision is coming.
2. Parts and repair. iFixit says its repairability score is provisional until replacement parts arrive through Apple's self-service program.
3. The bigger picture. The Duo is one of the first devices launched under new CEO John Ternus, The Verge noted. For more tech news, see our look at the OLED iPad mini rumors and the Samsung TV Log4j security report.

The bottom line

Apple says only a small number of iPhone Duos are affected and it will replace them through AppleCare, with or without AppleCare+. If your Duo's inner screen cracks or shows a bright line, contact Apple rather than paying for a repair.