iPhone Duo buyers report cracked screens and jailbreak on launch day
Apple‘s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, is facing complaints about cracked screens, display defects and a security exploit within hours of its October 23 launch.
Several early buyers have shared photographs of damaged inner displays, showing bright vertical and horizontal lines near the folding mechanism. Similar problems have reportedly appeared on demonstration units in Apple Stores, according to The Verge.
One Australian customer, posting on Reddit under the username Midnight_Slump, said their $1,999 device broke less than six hours after purchase.
The owner reported opening the phone fewer than 20 times before hearing a cracking sound near the hinge. A bright line of damaged pixels subsequently appeared along the fold, despite no visible signs of external damage.
The customer contacted Apple and was offered an express replacement that required a temporary charge authorisation equal to the phone’s full price. Instead, they visited an Apple Store, where staff immediately replaced the device with a new one.
Other users have shared images showing similar display failures, including bright horizontal lines extending across the right side of the screen.
Uneven display discovered beneath protective layer
Another concern emerged after technology insider Ice Universe published footage showing the iPhone Duo’s flexible screen with its matte nano-texture protective layer removed.
The exposed surface appeared uneven, with visible ripples, bumps and folds that are normally concealed by the coating.
Unbelievable! The iPhone Duo’s display has been hiding a shocking secret! Someone finally dared to peel off the matte film covering the iPhone Duo’s display, and what they discovered was astonishing. With the film removed, the screen underneath looks surprisingly uneven, with visible bumps, ripples, and even wrinkles!
— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) October 22, 2026
Apple has previously confirmed that the protective layer can be removed and replaced, with an official replacement service costing $19.
The footage does not establish that the underlying screen is defective, although it has prompted questions about the construction of Apple’s first folding display.
The device uses several protective layers and a titanium support structure intended to improve durability around the hinge.
Hackers jailbreak iPhone Duo hours after Release
Separately, security research team Calif demonstrated a jailbreak on an iPhone Duo running iOS 27.1 just hours after the smartphone went on sale.
The researchers published footage showing a modified interface with moving application icons, widgets and an anime character appearing on the display.
The demonstration indicates that the team was able to bypass some of Apple’s software restrictions, although the precise vulnerabilities used have not been fully disclosed.
Calif had previously demonstrated an untethered jailbreak on an iPhone 18 Pro running iOS 27.0.1, allowing the device to retain elevated access after restarting.
Security researcher Stefan Esser told German publication Heise that the team does not intend to release a public jailbreak tool.
He added that most vulnerabilities used in the earlier demonstration had been addressed in the forthcoming iOS 27.2 update.
