PSA: Check your iPhone. Some have started to change color and experts blame a ‘faulty seal’

If you just got one of the bright new orange iPhone 17 models, you need to check the surface of your phone right now. Some customers are already noticing streaks of pink appearing on their devices, and experts are pointing to a potential manufacturing defect involving a faulty seal as the culprit. This is exactly the kind of unexpected drama you don’t want with an Apple.

We first saw this widespread issue pop up thanks to a video from Apple customer @miostoo, who shared their experience on TikTok. They showed their orange iPhone 17 Pro Max starting to turn pink after a mere two weeks of use. In their video, you can clearly see metallic pink streaks developing around the phone’s cameras. It’s pretty shocking, and the video was captioned: “2 weeks after my iPhone 17 Pro Max started turning pink… this is crazy!!!!!”

It definitely looks like a major cosmetic defect for a phone that costs this much, though, to be fair, they were using a clear case on the device, which actually gives us a massive clue about what’s going on here. That clear case is key, because the discolored areas are only those that weren’t covered by the case itself. The parts of the phone exposed to the elements are the only ones changing color, which practically screams a lack of protection.

Your iPhone may be breaking apart

Think of it like a piece of art that’s only half-protected from the sun—the exposed half is going to look a lot different after a while. This led a lot of people in the comments to try to figure out exactly why the phone was suddenly having a color crisis. Apple has its issues, but this is too far.

Luckily, a tech expert, Carterpcs, chimed in to give us an accessible explanation of the issue, and he noted that lots of other orange iPhone users are reporting the exact same problem on X. He broke down the chemistry for us, explaining that to achieve this particularly vibrant orange color, Apple uses a process called anodization on the aluminum. This basically builds a highly durable, colored layer around the metal’s surface that gives it that beautiful finish. After the coloring is done, a crucial step is adding a clear seal to protect that coating from, well, everything.

According to Carterpcs, “That’s where the problem lies. Some batches had a problem with the seal.” If the clear seal isn’t applied correctly or if the material in a certain production batch was faulty, it leaves the colored anodized layer vulnerable to things like UV light, sweat, oils, or just general wear and tear, causing the orange to break down and show a different underlying color—in this case, metallic pink. It feels like night and day compared to the color Apple intended, which is awful for anyone who specifically wanted that bright orange finish.

But let’s be real, you bought an orange iPhone, not an orange-and-pink one, and a color-changing phone is a clear defect. This is why you need to be informed and get ahead of this. Just return it to Apple. The company does drag its feet with returns, but if it’s reported enough, Apple does start offering replacements and fixes.

The bottom line is to check your phone, especially the exposed areas around the cameras or any parts of the frame not covered by your case. If you’re one of the affected users, whether you love the new pink streaks or hate them, you need to go get your phone replaced while it’s still new. You paid a lot of money for a specific color, and if you’d like to take advantage of the warranty, make sure to hurry and get it swapped out.