It Can Happen: I Turned My iPhone 17 Pro From Cosmic Orange to Pink

Last year, a Reddit thread appeared showing that the color of a user’s iPhone 17 Pro had changed from the once-vibrant cosmic orange color it was supposed to be to a wild pink tone. I was skeptical at first, but it turns out to be true. In an earlier version of this article, I attacked my phone with various chemicals, but little seemed to change. But when I compared my phone to a new iPhone 17 Pro Max at this year’s MWC, the difference was clear: Mine was now bright pink. Here’s what happened and what you can do to protect yours.

As PCMag’s Eric Zeman noted, discoloration can be caused by cleaning substances that affect a phone’s finish, with oxidation being the cause of the color change from cosmic orange to bright pink. Sure, this could technically be a flaw, but in all honesty, I love pink phones (remember the pink Moto Razr V3?) and the idea of ​​a hot pink iPhone 17 Pro filled me with joy. Pink is on the rise and I couldn’t be happier. Let it be the “blush” MacBook Neosoft pink iPhone17E or the superb pink Nothing 4A Pro (hell, I’ll throw in my own recent customization of the Leica Q3 43 for good measure), the softer hue of spring can be seen sprouting all over tech.

So I tested the theory with different cleaning fluids.

It’s important to note that the iPhone 17 Pro I used was purchased by CNET for testing purposes. If I had paid over $1,000 of my own money, I would never have been so reckless as to coat it in chemicals that could potentially cause it irreparable damage. And neither should you. If you need to clean your phone, do it safely. Disclaimer aside, let’s dive in.

Chemicals

I first purchased two chemicals to test this. Zeman explains that oxidation may have caused a color change and that hydrogen peroxide could do that. I couldn’t find it over the counter in the UK at the time (but more on that later), so I bought an ‘oxy-active’ stain remover spray which, among other things, contains ‘oxygen-based bleaches’, which seemed ideal. Apple clearly states on its support page: “don’t use products that contain bleach or hydrogen peroxide, so naturally I bought thick bleach too.

Watch this: The iPhone 17E offers more features for the same $599 price

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Oxy app

I started by spraying the oxy cleaner onto a microfiber cloth until it was visibly wet with the liquid. I then generously applied it to the entire back of the iPhone. The Reddit user with 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 well and truly sprayed with chemicals that have nothing to do with a phone, I left it to sit and think about what it had done for 30 minutes – after which I wiped it down and did a careful inspection. Unfortunately, my phone was still orange from the factory, rather than “what did you do to your phone” pink. It’s time to move on.

Bleach explosion

I opened the bleach and, trying not to think about my days as a college maid, applied a generous drop of the stuff to a cloth. Again, I spread it over the helpless phone, again focusing on the metal areas. I definitely should have worn protective gloves for all of this, so make sure you take better care of yourself than I did if you do anything with bleach.

Again, I gave it a 30 minute settling in period before cleaning it and inspecting the results. The phone remained as orange as ever, looking as fresh as the day before, even though it was indeed 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 cloth, I rubbed it generously on the metal parts of the phone. I did this several times, letting it air dry between applications. At first I was disappointed that I couldn’t literally see the orange turn into a bright pink, but over time I noticed that in the right light there was a more pinkish tint.

But it was subtle, and in certain lighting it still looked so orange. But a few weeks later, at Mobile World Congress 2026, I compared the phone with Patrick Holland’s cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, and that’s when the difference became very obvious. Mine wasn’t just a slight shift to pink; it looked like I bought a completely different color variant. All metal surfaces were a vibrant pink compared to the orange of Patrick’s model, with only the glass parts – and the non-metallic slots of the antennas – remaining orange.

Is the pink iPhone 17 real?

My first version of this article was to conclude that perhaps the hot pink iPhone seen on Reddit might not be the real deal. Or that something went wrong within Apple manufacturing and the customer simply purchased a faulty model. But ultimately, seeing my chemically treated phone versus a newer Cosmic Orange model really showed me what can happen to a phone if it’s not cared for properly.

So yes, it is entirely possible for an iPhone 17 Pro to go from orange to pink. But the reality is that this won’t be a problem for the vast majority of owners, and I don’t think this can be considered a fault on Apple’s part. Apple’s guidelines are very clear: you shouldn’t use harsh chemicals on your phones, and frankly, I don’t even think those are guidelines that should be given. What I did – completely on purpose – 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 are welcome. Of course, I’m being flippant, but it’s worth keeping in mind that hydrogen peroxide can be found in other products, including hair dyes, so you might have some on your hands and pick up your phone to answer a call without thinking. A case would definitely help protect your phone further.

But otherwise, I don’t think you need to worry about keeping your phone in its original orange state. Of course, if you just want a pink iPhone 17 Pro, that’s a different matter entirely, but my advice remains that coating your phone in dangerous chemicals is not reasonable. This could seriously harm you and your phone, and you’re much better off just hoping that Apple releases a new pink iPhone Pro in September. And it’s possible – after all, it just launched a pink iPhone 17E.