Is your iPhone 17 Pro turning pink? It might be because you're cleaning it with the wrong stuff

Apple's switch to anodized aluminum on iPhone 17 Pro has not come without its controversies — especially with the new Cosmic Orange option. Not only have we had all the "scratchgate" controversy, but people have also started reporting that their phones are turning pink.

When you've paid out for something distinctly not pink, I can understand why the color shift would be frustrating. But there may be an explanation as to why some phones are changing color, while others aren't. This isn't going to magically turn your increasingly-pink iPhone 17 Pro orange again, but it should stop it from getting any worse.

It all comes down to how anodized aluminum actually works. While harder metals like titanium have a non-porous finish, which helps protect the rest of the metal, anodized aluminum does not. Instead, the porous surface is actually utilized to dye the metal whatever color is needed.

So the Cosmic Orange dye soaks into the frame, giving it that vivid color everyone seems to want to have.

Stay clear of hydrogen peroxide

The metal is then sealed, but if you compromise that seal somehow (or it wasn't correctly sealed in the first place), you're going to end up letting other stuff soak in. Which is probably where some of this color-shifting has come from.

TechRadar refers to a PF Finishing products blog post from 2013, written by Mark Jazefowicz, VP of Technical Services. In it, he notes that anodized aluminum has to go through multiple stages of cleaning and sterilization, some of which can use hydrogen peroxide. That particular chemical can pose problems, since it can cause "fading or significant discoloration after only a few sterilization cycles."

Hydrogen peroxide is actually more common than you might have realized. Various cosmetics and cleaning products can contain the chemical, and if any of that gets onto your phone, it may start ruining your shiny orange finish.

So we have to refer to Apple's own support page covering the topic of cleaning iPhones. The company confirms that you are able to clean and disinfect your iPhone, but you should avoid anything containing bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

How to keep your iPhone 17 Pro clean

Instead, Apple recommends using wipes with either 60% isopropyl alcohol or 75% ethyl alcohol. This is the same guidance Apple released back in 2020, so people could clean their phones and kill any lingering traces of the COVID-19 virus that may be living on it.

We also have a guide on how to clean your iPhone, should your device ever get particularly dirty. Thankfully, you can do the majority of that work with a damp, lint-free cloth, rather than anything from a bottle.

Now I can't imagine all the people affected by "Colorgate," as the internet has started calling it, have been dousing their phones in hydrogen peroxide or any other combination of chemicals. There are plenty of other things that could mess up the coloring — and anyone who's ever purchased white gadgets or Lego knows how much UV light can degrade the coloring.

But, if you are concerned about keeping your Pumpkin-themed iPhone the right color for as long as possible, make sure you're not using any untoward chemicals or cleaning products.

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