Apple has told technicians how to deal with iPhone Duo units whose inner display cracks, according to an internal memo that leaked this week. The company’s public line has not changed: it says a small number of units are affected and there is no recall.
The memo went to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, and it is fairly plain. A customer who complains gets the phone inspected, then fixed or swapped the usual way. Apple has not announced a dedicated repair programme on its website.
What Apple has said
MacRumors, which obtained the memo, also published Apple’s statement from Monday: the company knows of a fault with the inner screen on \”a small number\” of units, and affected customers should contact AppleCare for a replacement. Apple told the site that most units are not susceptible, and that affected ones seem to show the defect soon after use begins.
The publication reads the memo as a sign the problem is wide enough to need official guidance. That is its inference, not Apple’s claim.
Early buyers started posting cracked screens soon after deliveries began about a week ago, with lines down the inner display. iFixit’s teardown, as MacRumors reports it, points to a faulty hinge on affected phones. Apple has not commented on a cause.
We first covered Apple’s confirmation of the cracking issue on 27 October.
