Has my oleophobic coating gone?

Sir Ruben · Jul 8, 2011

Ive had my iPhone 4 since launch and its naked (but I keep it in a soft slip case), I have kept it in perfect condition, it still looks as new out of the box, there is not a single mark or scratch on it.

Anyway Ive noticed lately that the screen is getting smudged very quickly and the screens surface doesnt feel as smooth as it used too, now my fingers stick on the glass more when moving.

It really stood out to me when I got my new SGS2 and noticed that the screen on that wasnt getting nearly half as smudged even when I was using them at the same time (to compare them for a write up I'll be posting shortly).

Has my iPhone 4's oleophobic coating worn away?

saving107 · Jul 8, 2011

The coating only lasts about 2-3 months, so yes it more likely has worn off by now.

Gav2k · Jul 8, 2011

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saving107 said:
The coating only lasts about 2-3 months, so yes it more likely has worn off by now.

Based on what??

-aggie- · Jul 8, 2011

Gav2k said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Based on what??

Definitely. I've never heard 2-3 months either. Maybe after a year of hard use. Some of mine is gone after a year, which I think is due to playing games where the screen was running hotter than normal.

iphone1105 · Jul 8, 2011

saving107 said:
The coating only lasts about 2-3 months, so yes it more likely has worn off by now.

this is truth where? what source?

djon41 · Jul 8, 2011

I think the soft slip case has a lot to do with speeding up the process. I keep mine in a soft slip case as well (the simple Sena leather one) and noticed after a few months that the coating seems to be completely gone. I think it also has the added issue of collecting all the grime from your screen when you slide it in or out, and the fibers just get saturated and start to actually deposit oil/gunk on your screen.

MiRod407 · Jul 8, 2011

On my iPhone 4 it only lasted about 2-3 months for me and on my iPad 2 it seems like its already gone. I don't even think it lasted as long as the iPhone 4's coating. Now I am in Florida and we're already hitting 100 degree heat for most of the day, so temperature could also be a factor in this.

heisenberg123 · Jul 8, 2011

ive notice mine has worn off, i had the phone since September

msb3079 · Jul 8, 2011

How are you guys noticing it "wearing off"?

I don't buy that... It wouldnt wear even, either... theoretically, it would be different in different areas.

saving107 · Jul 8, 2011

Gav2k said:
Based on what??

2-3 months was mainly a guesstimate, when I've read about people complaining that the coating has worn off, its generally been at around 2-4 months after purchase.

Though Apple does claim in the User Guide that it will wear off eventually under normal use, quicker if not cleaned properly (like using a cleaner with Alcohol or Ammonia).

Keeping the Outside of iPhone Clean
To clean these surfaces, simply wipe with a soft, lint-free cloth. The ability of this coating to repel oil will diminish over time with normal usage, and rubbing the screen with an abrasive material will further diminish its effect and may scratch the glass.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iPhone_3GS_Important_Product_Information_Guide.pdf

jfyrfytr25 · Jul 8, 2011

you guys are nuts. there is no way your coating has "worn off" if it did, it would not come off evenly and you would notice an certain areas worse than others.

If you dont believe me buy an iphone 4 front replacement LCD assembly from one of the online parts stores. no matter how much they say they are "exactly the same" the area that they fail to be exactly alike is in the oleophobic coating. the aftermarket parts do not have it. it is immediatley obvious and holding my launch day iphone 4 side by side this replacement part you can tell a huge difference not only in smudge/fingerprint resistance but also in the smooth surface. your finger glides along the real part and feels drag on the aftermarket.

PNutts · Jul 8, 2011

saving107 said:
Though Apple does claim in the User Guide that it will wear off eventually under normal use, quicker if not cleaned properly (like using a cleaner with Alcohol or Ammonia).

Do not clean your screen with Alcohol or Ammonia: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3226

Edit: Reading a third time I think this is what saving107 meant but worth repeating.

saving107 · Jul 8, 2011

PNutts said:
Do not clean your screen with Alcohol or Ammonia: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3226

Edit: Reading a third time I think this is what saving107 meant but worth repeating.

Sorry, I just re-read my own post as well and yes I meant Do Not Use.

uiop. · Jul 8, 2011

IMO, the whole oleophobic coating is a giant crock of schit. Doesn't do a thing to prevent smudges.

fizzwinkus · Jul 8, 2011

an oleophobic coating is to make it easier to wipe oil away. you don't say rain-x doesn't work because it still rains.

Sir Ruben · Jul 9, 2011

Well I get the feeling that my coating has worn away evenly across the whole screen. I put this down to using a microfiber cloth to clean the whole of the screen rather than it be worn away in certain area's from my fingers.

Its only having a second smartphone that really made it noticeable. On the new SGS2 I could literally feel the glide of the screen with its new untouched coating.

w00t951 · Jul 9, 2011

I can tell because when my iPhone 4 was new, fingerprints never showed on the screen. Now fingerprints are attracted to my display like Tony Montana is to cocaine.

P0stalTek · Jul 9, 2011

I'm thankful I've always used a screen protector after reading this thread.

Thanks for the very informative posts folks.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jfyrfytr25 · Jul 9, 2011

Read the statement from apple carefully. It says that the ability to repel fingerprints will "diminish over time" not that it will wear away completely.

and if you notice that all the other devices on that page also says do not use alcohol, ammonia, household cleaners. regardless if they have an oleophobic coating or not. I dont buy it. I will say that maybe my iphone doesn't repel as good as day one, but I do know the coating is still there and works to some degree based on the experience I stated in my first post.

macnewbbie · Feb 2, 2013

I have the same problem with my iphone 4. The oleophobic coating did wear off a bit and is now completely gone because some time ago i used a cleaning product that i guess removed it completely and i know, i shouldn't have done that but i didn't know at the time.
So, since the damage is done and it annoys me so much to see the phone with smudges/fingerprints and have to be constantly cleaning it to look half as cleaned, what can i do now? Is there any product to replace the coating? What do you recommend?
I read about some products to get the oleophobic coating back but i don't know if they are any good or if they actually work.

204353 · Feb 3, 2013

uiop. said:
IMO, the whole oleophobic coating is a giant crock of schit. Doesn't do a thing to prevent smudges.

If you compare the normal screen of an iPhone to one with a crappy plastic screen protector, you'll definitely see the benefit of the coating. It's one of the reasons I stopped using screen protectors a long time ago.

bushman4 · Feb 3, 2013

Using chemical cleaners will erode the oleophobic coating on your screen.

Has my oleophobic coating gone?

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