Apple Limiting iPhone Duo Pre-Orders to Two Units per Customer in the US

As buyers wait for their iPhone Duo foldables to arrive, there's bad news for those who want to buy more than two devices. Apple's first foldable hit pre-order on October 16 and is expected to go on sale starting October 23. Amid news of supply shortages of Apple's first foldable, the company is now limiting iPhone Duo purchases to two units per customer. The news comes shortly after Apple employees reportedly were asked to warn customers not to visit stores to buy the foldable without a pre-order on launch day.

Apple Limiting iPhone Duo to Pre-Orders to Two Units per Customer

A report by MacRumours mentions that Apple is limiting the number of iPhone Duo units that can be purchased by customers. This applies to those looking to pre-order the foldable ahead of launch day, set for October 23.

Customers can purchase only two iPhone Duo units at checkout. Those attempting to purchase more than two will be shown a message requesting the customer to “adjust the total quantity” of iPhone Duo units in their cart before checkout. The source also points to a Reddit post claiming this limit wasn't in place when pre-orders went live on October 16. The message limiting the number of iPhone Duo purchases appears on the Apple website and in the Apple Store app.

The report also says Apple made this two-device limit clear to customers in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In India, Apple's website shows a similar message. “A maximum of 2 iPhone can be purchased per customer. Please adjust the total quantity of iPhone in your order before checking out.”, but Gadgets 360 wasn't able to independently verify whether this limit was set in place from October 16, which is when pre-orders went live.

Indeed, the move could have been made to keep scalpers out as many customers struggle to get a delivery date closer to launch. In India, all pre-orders placed today will ship only on January 23, 2027. Retailers like Croma are promising October 29 shipping, but only for the 256GB model, which is currently in stock.

In a more recent report, Apple Store employees were instructed to discourage customers who were looking to purchase an iPhone Duo in-store on launch day. Meanwhile, online customers who pre-ordered the device earlier and were shown shipping dates as far as January have been asked to check their status on October 24. Indeed, the crackdown on scalpers could be good news for eager customers waiting to receive their handsets around the launch date.