Just when we thought Scratchgate was over, now there’s a new iPhone scandal involving the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro turning pink. The hubbub began over a week ago with a Reddit post by DakAttack316, who shared pictures of the iPhone 17 Pro in a shade of “Rose Gold,” as they described it.
As things like this do on the internet, it picked up steam, and other people began posting images and videos of their Cosmic Orange phone turning a shade of pink. While some videos like connordavis0808’s on TikTok below seem to be legit on the surface, there are a lot of people “remixing” videos, or taking the Reddit pics and making a video of their own, making the issue seem more widespread.
I’ve had the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro, reviewed it, and have been using it daily for about a month. It’s still orange, and it doesn’t have any signs of changing color. I have had a case on it for almost the whole time; first the TechWoven case, then I switched to a thinner, clear case that I bought on Amazon for $16. The only time I cleaned the phone was when I switched cases, and it still looks good to me.
However, an obsession with wiping down your new iPhone could be the root of the issue. Apple recently updated its support page about cleaning your iPhone. The update mainly concerns the handling of the iPhone’s Ceramic Shield; the previous version of the document didn’t have that. While the document doesn’t specifically address the aluminum Cosmic Orange frame turning pink, it does highlight a portion that has been part of Apple’s guidance as far back as 2023 but seems relevant now: “Don’t use products containing bleach or hydrogen peroxide” to disinfect your iPhone. Apple also added the statement, “Avoid getting moisture in any openings, and don’t submerge your iPhone in any cleaning agents,” in the recent update to the document.
It’s possible that bleach or hydrogen peroxide can react with the iPhone’s coating, causing discoloration. If you need to disinfect your iPhone (people drop them in the toilet, it happens, that’s what I’ve heard), follow Apple’s advice and use a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe, 75 percent ethyl alcohol wipe, or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and “gently wipe the exterior surfaces of your iPhone.”
Apple has not specifically commented on the issue. The iPhone 17 Pro is also available in Deep Blue and Silver, and we haven’t seen any reports of discoloration with those phones. If you want to go orange without the risk of it turning pink, you can always go with an orange iPhone case.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.