Yes, my orange iPhone 17 Pro turned pink after I did this. Here’s how you can too

Last year, A Reddit A thread surfaced suggesting that the iPhone 17 Pro’s vibrant cosmic orange color could somehow turn into a bright pink, and it turns out that’s entirely true. In an earlier version of this article, I tested a Redditor’s claims by attacking my phone with various chemicals and at the time didn’t notice much of a difference, but a couple of months later, things have changed. And when I put my phone in front of the new iPhone 17 Pro Max Mobile World Congress 2026The difference was obvious: my color was now light pink. Here’s what happened and what you can do to protect your device.

like PCMag’s Eric Zeman notedDiscolouration can be caused by cleaning agents affecting the phone’s finish, with oxidation being responsible for the color turning from cosmic orange to hot pink. Sure, this might be technically wrong, but in all honesty I love pink phones (remember… Pink Moto Razr V3?) And the idea of ​​hot pink iPhone 17 Pro You filled me with joy. So I tested the theory using different cleaning fluids.

It’s important to note here that the iPhone 17 Pro I used was purchased by CNET for testing purposes. Had I paid more than $1,000 of my own money, I would never have been so reckless as to stain it with chemicals that could cause irreparable damage. And neither should you. If you need to clean your phone, Do it safely. Disclaimers aside, let’s dig deeper.

Chemicals

I first purchased two chemicals to test this. Ziman explains that oxidation may have caused the color change and that hydrogen peroxide could do that. I couldn’t find this product over the counter in the UK at the time (but more on that later), so instead I bought an ‘active oxy’ stain remover spray which contained, among other things, ‘oxygen-based whitening agents’ which seemed perfect. Apple clearly states “Do not use products that contain bleach or hydrogen peroxide.” Its support page — So, naturally, I bought some thicker bleach as well.

Oxy application

I started by spraying the oxy cleaner onto a microfiber cloth until it was noticeably damp from the liquid. Then I applied it liberally all over the back of the iPhone. The Reddit user who owned the affected phone showed that it only affected the metal parts, not the glass back panel, so I made sure to focus my attention on the sides and the camera bar.

With the phone thoroughly soaked in chemicals that had nothing to do with being near the phone, I left it to sit and think about what it had done for 30 minutes – after which time I wiped it dry and did a thorough inspection. Disappointingly my phone was still orange from the factory, instead of the ‘what the hell did you do with your phone’ pink colour. It’s time to move on.

Bleach explosion

I opened the bleach and tried hard not to think about my days as a middle school janitor, and put a big drop of the stuff on a cloth. Again, I smeared it over the defenseless phone, again focusing on the metal areas. I definitely had to wear protective gloves for all of this, so please make sure you take better care of yourself than I do if you do anything with bleach.

Again, I gave it a 30-minute settling period before cleaning it and checking the results. The phone remained as orange as ever, looking just as new as it had back in the day when it was actually new.

Hydrogen peroxide FTW

Although I couldn’t find hydrogen peroxide in stores in the UK, it was readily available on Amazon. I bought a bottle and, using a piece of kitchen towel, rubbed some liberally around the metal parts of the phone. I did this a few times, leaving it to air dry between applications. I was disappointed at first because I literally didn’t see the orange color turning into the hot pink, but over time I noticed that in the right light, there was a more pink color happening.

But it looked subtle and in some lighting it looked as orange as ever. But after a few weeks, during… Mobile World Congress 2026I compared the phone to Patrick Holland’s cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, and that’s when the difference became very clear. Not only was my color turning slightly pink, it looked like I had purchased a completely different color. All the metal surfaces looked vibrant pink against the orange of Patrick’s model, with only the glass parts – and the non-metallic slits for the antennas – remaining orange.

Is the pink iPhone 17 real?

My first version of this article had to conclude that maybe the vibrant pink iPhone seen on Reddit wasn’t the real deal. Or that something went wrong within Apple’s manufacturing and that customer simply purchased a defective model. But finally, seeing my chemically treated phone versus the new Cosmic Orange model really showed me what can happen to a phone if it’s not taken care of properly.

So, yes, it’s entirely possible for the iPhone 17 Pro to turn from orange to pink. But the truth is that this won’t be a problem for the vast majority of owners, and I don’t think this can be considered any kind of error on Apple’s part. Apple’s guidance is very clear about not using strong chemicals on its phones, and frankly, I don’t think that’s the guidance that should be given. What I did – completely intentionally – was attack the phone with chemicals so strong that I couldn’t even buy them in stores.

If you have an orange iPhone and want to keep it that way, my advice is simple: Don’t cover your phone in hydrogen peroxide. You’re welcome. Sure, I’m being rude. It’s worth noting that hydrogen peroxide can be found in other products, including hair dyes, so it’s possible that you have some on your hands and then pick up your phone to answer a call without thinking. The case is sure to help protect your phone even more.

But other than that, I don’t think you need to worry about keeping your phone in its original orange state. Of course, if you simply want a pink iPhone 17 Pro, that’s another matter entirely, but my guidance remains that staining your phone with dangerous chemicals is unreasonable. This could cause serious damage to you and your phone, and you’d better hope Apple launches a new pink iPhone Pro in September. And maybe – it’s just been launched iPhone 17E pinkAfter all.