Apple’s iPhone Duo 2 Face ID plan has working prototypes behind it, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the feature may not be ready in time for next fall’s launch. If it slips, he says Face ID would likely arrive with the iPhone Duo 3 in 2028.
For anyone who unlocks the first Duo with the side button sensor dozens of times a day, that gap is roughly a year of extra waiting. Face ID sits at the top of Apple’s list for the foldable, and Gurman is clear that the schedule is tight.
TL;DR: Gurman reports Apple has iPhone Duo 2 prototypes with Face ID on the outer display and calls it the top priority. Engineers are still integrating it, timelines are tight, and he is not certain it will ship next fall. If it misses, Face ID would likely come with the iPhone Duo 3 in 2028. Today’s iPhone Duo uses Touch ID in the side button.
What Gurman reported about iPhone Duo 2 Face ID
Apple has built iPhone Duo 2 prototypes with Face ID on the outer display, and engineers are still working to integrate the facial recognition system into that screen. Gurman calls Face ID the top priority for the foldable.
He pairs it with an Action Button as the second priority. A telephoto camera and a thinner, lighter body are goals for the next couple of generations.
| Model | Timing | Unlock method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone Duo | On sale since October 23, 2026 | Touch ID in side button, Apple Watch unlock | Apple Newsroom |
| iPhone Duo 2 | Next fall | Face ID prototypes on outer display, not guaranteed | Gurman |
| iPhone Duo 3 | 2028 | Likely home for Face ID if the Duo 2 misses | Gurman |
The caution in the report is about timing.
Why Face ID may not make the Duo
Gurman says the timelines are tight and the system is not quite ready, so he is not reporting with certainty that Face ID makes the Duo 2. If Apple cannot finish in time, he says it would likely come with the iPhone Duo 3 in 2028.
The prototypes were already in the news last month, when Gurman said on his Power On podcast on October 22 that Apple was testing Duo 2 units with Face ID under the outer display. What is new is the warning that the schedule may not hold.
A working prototype and a part Apple can build by the million are two different milestones, and the report only describes the first.
Face ID is also not the only item riding on that schedule.
What else is on Apple’s list for the Duo
Gurman names the Action Button as the second priority, ahead of a telephoto camera and a thinner, lighter design. The form the button would take is not clear from the report.
One possibility is folding it into Camera Control, which is what an iPhone 20 Camera Control leak claims for that phone. Nothing in the report confirms the same move for the Duo.
Who should wait for the Duo 2
The iPhone Duo on sale today starts at $1,999 in the U.S. and unlocks with Touch ID in the side button, which Apple says works whether the phone is open or closed. You can also unlock it with an Apple Watch.
The report does not say what happens on the inner display, or whether Touch ID would stay if Face ID reaches only the outer screen.
If Face ID is the reason you skipped the first Duo, nothing here promises it next fall, so 2028 is the safer planning date. Buyers who are not waiting face their own delay, since Apple cannot say when iPhone Duo supply catches up with demand.
