Every new iPhone opens with the same cursive “hello.” Apple’s first foldable is getting a version with your name on it, as long as you buy it the right way.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman posted on X late Friday that Apple’s retail stores will be able to customize the iPhone Duo’s first boot for the person buying it. In his words: “Apple retail stores will have a system to customize the boot of the device with the buyer’s name so it says ‘Hello, Mark’ (for example) when it turns on for the first time.”
He called it a “fun little touch,” and that’s what it is. It’s still a telling one for a $1,999 phone that Apple clearly wants people to pick up in person.
Who gets it
Gurman listed three limits in the same post: U.S. only, iPhone Duo only, and English and Spanish only.
So this isn’t coming to an iPhone 18 Pro, and it isn’t coming to stores outside the U.S., even in countries where the Duo launches the same day. Gurman didn’t say whether online orders picked up at a store qualify. MacRumors assumes in-store pickup orders will be included along with walk-in purchases, but that’s an educated guess, not something he reported. Phones shipped to your door or bought through a carrier aren’t part of what he described.
It’s also a one-time thing. The custom greeting shows up the first time the phone turns on. Once you’re through setup, you won’t see it again.
How the store gets your name onto a sealed phone
Neither Gurman nor Apple has said how it works. The obvious candidate is Presto, the system Gurman first reported in 2023 that lets Apple Store staff power on iPhones while they’re still sealed in the box, install a software update, and turn them off again without breaking the shrink wrap. It has been in U.S. stores since 2024.
Notebookcheck points to a report from the leaker pdfu, via IT Home, saying Apple is using exactly that tool for the greeting, along with a new font. Treat that as unconfirmed. There is one real difference from how Presto works today: it updates boxes by model, color and storage before anything is sold, while a name greeting has to be tied to one specific buyer after the sale. That points to a step at the register or the pickup counter, which would also explain why it’s limited to Apple’s own stores.
Why Apple bothers
Apple already engraves names and emoji on AirPods, AirTags and iPads ordered online. This is the opposite approach: a software touch you can only get in person.
The timing makes sense. The Duo is Apple’s most expensive iPhone, it’s a new shape most buyers haven’t held, and a lot of people will want to try the hinge before they hand over two grand. Giving them one more reason to pick it up at a store, where staff can walk them through setup and accessories, costs Apple almost nothing.
The iPhone Duo goes up for pre-order on October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific and launches October 23, starting at $1,999. If you’ve been going back and forth on ordering online versus going in, this is a small nudge toward the store. It probably shouldn’t be the reason you buy a $2,000 phone, but it’s a nice way to open one.
Reporting reference: Mark Gurman on X ↗