iPhone Duo: Apple personalizes the first startup with the owner's name

Name: Apple iPhone Duo
Brand: Apple

Anyone buying the iPhone Duo at a US Apple Store will reportedly be greeted with “Hello” and their own name on first startup, according to Mark Gurman.

Anyone buying the iPhone Duo at a US Apple Store will reportedly be greeted by name when they first turn it on, according to Mark Gurman. The feature is exclusive to the foldable, available only in the US and only in English and Spanish. In Germany, the iPhone Duo launches on October 23 without it.

Jan Gruber (translated by Jan Gruber), Published 10/10/2026 🇩🇪

Apple iPhone Foldable

An iPhone that knows its owner's name the first time it's switched on – that's apparently what Apple has planned for the launch of the iPhone Duo. As Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reports on X, Apple Stores in the US will be able to personalize the foldable's welcome screen. Instead of the familiar "Hello", buyers will see something like "Hello, Mark" when the device boots up for the first time.

Gurman lists the limitations right away: the greeting is only available at US Apple Stores, only for the iPhone Duo and only in English and Spanish. Buyers in Germany and Austria are left out. Whether online orders picked up in a store qualify is something he doesn't say. Apple hasn't officially confirmed the feature yet, and it wasn't mentioned when the iPhone Duo was unveiled in September.

An update inside a sealed box

How the stores get the name onto the device, Gurman doesn't reveal. Presto is the obvious candidate. Apple staff use this system to install software updates on iPhones that are still sealed in their packaging – the device boots inside the box, installs the update and shuts down again without anyone tearing off the wrap. According to leaker pdfu, as reported by IT Home, Apple is using exactly this tool for the greeting. A new font is said to be part of it as well.

Why Apple wants buyers in its stores

Is this more than a nice gesture? It is. The iPhone Duo starts at around 2,000 USD in the US, while in Germany it costs 2,300 euros with 256 GB and 3,800 euros with 2 TB – a new type of device at a price few people will order blind. Anyone spending that much on a foldable wants to open and close it first and take a look at the crease in the display. That makes it attractive for Apple to bring buyers into its stores, where staff can explain the new way of using the phone and sell accessories or AppleCare+ along the way. A device that greets you by name is a small lure for that – and a moment people like to film and share.

The idea itself isn't entirely new: Apple has long offered engraving on iPads and AirTags in its online store. What's new is that the personalization lives in the software and is only available in person.

For buyers outside the US, the first boot stays the same. Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo open on October 16, and it hits stores on October 23. The "Hello" on the display will stay nameless – at least until Apple expands the program, and there's no sign of that so far.