Apple has given the iPhone 17 Pro an eye-catching, warm color for the first time in years. However, the Cosmic Orange is now causing irritation—the color is visibly changing on some devices.
When Orange Suddenly Turns Pink
After years of subtle tones such as space grey or silver, Apple is offering a really bold color variant for the first time with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The Cosmic Orange was primarily intended for users who prefer a more striking design. The new color option has become correspondingly popular, but reports of unexpected color changes are piling up on social networks.
On platforms such as Reddit and TikTok, users show iPhones whose frames and camera modules are no longer orange but have suddenly turned pink or even rose-colored. In some cases, the surface even appears reddish depending on the incidence of light. What is striking is that the inlay for wireless charging still shows the original orange tone, indicating that the color change affects only the coated aluminum surfaces.
Chemistry and Light: Possible Causes for the Color Change
Apple has yet to provide an official explanation. However, the documentation on the iPhone 17 already contains information that makes the effect plausible. According to this, cleaning agents with bleach or hydrogen peroxide should be avoided. One possible reason: they could attack the surface coating, thereby changing the color. According to Apple, you should always avoid such agents, especially on anodized aluminium.
A reaction to intensive or long-term UV radiation is also conceivable. This would also explain why the effect mainly occurs with bright, saturated colors. The other two color variants of the iPhone 17 Pro and earlier models with titanium frames, such as the iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro, do not appear to be affected so far.
iPhone 17 Pro: Apple Is Replacing Devices
As MacRumors reports, Apple has issued no public statement so far. However, support is said to have replaced affected devices following a review. It is unclear how many users are actually affected—the number of documented cases is manageable so far, but could increase as the new color variant becomes more widespread.
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