iPhone 17 Pro Users Report Color Fading Under Sunlight Exposure

Early adopters of the iPhone 17 Pro series are facing an unexpected and rather colorful problem: their premium devices are literally losing their color. What began as a few curious posts on Reddit from owners of the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max has now snowballed into a noticeable trend.

Users are reporting that their vibrant phones have started to fade after brief exposure to sunlight – particularly around the camera island, with the discoloration slowly spreading across the aluminum frame while the matte glass remains untouched.

Interestingly, the issue isn’t limited to the orange model. Several owners of the Deep Blue variant have also seen their devices turn into a strange blend of faded hues, giving the impression of a two-tone finish that Apple never intended. The speculation across forums and social media is that UV exposure might be the culprit. Some users joked that Apple had secretly introduced a heat-sensitive paint that changes shades in sunlight – an accidental feature many have dubbed ‘iHeat’.

While some find humor in the situation, others are genuinely frustrated. For a phone costing nearly ₹150,000, seeing it morph colors in just a few days of use feels unacceptable. A few users even romanticized the fading as a tribute to Steve Jobs’ philosophy that a device’s aging adds to its character – though many others countered that electronics don’t age like fine wine; they just turn into expensive e-waste.

At the moment, Apple hasn’t issued an official statement. Retail staff reportedly advise customers to visit Apple Stores for replacements if the fading worsens, hinting that this may quietly become an exchange-eligible defect. Until then, owners of the affected units can at least claim they possess the world’s first color-shifting iPhone – though likely not by design.