Apple Watch 7 Oleophobic Coating

[uiuc18]

I recently purchased an Apple Watch 7, and, after reading all the stories about it being scratched, purchased plastic film screen protectors. The first peeled off, despite being installed professionally, and the second isn't going much better. Part of the installation process used alcohol wipes to clean off the screen.

I am aware that Apple recently said it was okay to use alcohol wipes, but I'm wondering if they only said this because of the pandemic. I know alcohol wipes are not good for the oleophobic coating, but how much would several applications harm the oleophobic coating?

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Long before Covid I've used 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes on all my iPhones, iPads and my AppleWatch weekly for years and haven't experienced any issues. The coating will wear off in time just from normal use and isn't intended to be permanent

 

[Velin]

Same as previous poster. I have cleaned iPhone, iPad, Macook Pro, iMacs with everything, including isopropyl alcohol, window cleaner, Clorox wipes, and even put RainX windshield treatment on iPad screen to make it a bit more slippery. After many years, not a single problem across multiple devices, ever. Not a scratch, or blemish, or discoloring. So clean away.

I know your question asked about oleophobic coating. Well, it’s going to wear down pretty quickly no matter what. Frankly, I think the coating is pretty useless, especially for power users.

And if you want an alternative, use the aforementioned RainX. It’s cheap and it works. Seriously do not waste your money on aftermarket oleophobic products. They’re kind of a pain to use. They are marginally effective. And they are wildly overpriced. That’s why people in the know use RainX — some even use their automotive clear ceramic coatings on these screens. RainX for me, not interested in buying the liquid ceramics/polishes.

Finally, for your Watch, I wouldn’t bother. Just enjoy it. Apple glass is very tough. Just don’t drop it or rub it with sandpaper, and it should last a heck of a long time. And if you do scour the Watch with a harsh abrasive, stupid oleophobic isn’t going to do anything anyway.

 

[Cheefy]

I recently purchased an Apple Watch 7, and, after reading all the stories about it being scratched, purchased plastic film screen protectors. The first peeled off, despite being installed professionally, and the second isn't going much better. Part of the installation process used alcohol wipes to clean off the screen.

I am aware that Apple recently said it was okay to use alcohol wipes, but I'm wondering if they only said this because of the pandemic. I know alcohol wipes are not good for the oleophobic coating, but how much would several applications harm the oleophobic coating?

I don’t use anything special to clean my Apple Watch screens other than warm water and a rub with a clean soft towel when I take it off while I have a shower. I use a thin film screen protector ( LK ) applied after cleaning as above but not with the alcohol wipes that are usefully supplied. That way I never rub the oleophobic coating on the watch other than when I apply a new screen protector. This has worked well for me so far and my screens are always in perfect condition when I sell and update to a newer model.

 

[ach]

I recently purchased an Apple Watch 7, and, after reading all the stories about it being scratched, purchased plastic film screen protectors. The first peeled off, despite being installed professionally, and the second isn't going much better. Part of the installation process used alcohol wipes to clean off the screen.

I am aware that Apple recently said it was okay to use alcohol wipes, but I'm wondering if they only said this because of the pandemic. I know alcohol wipes are not good for the oleophobic coating, but how much would several applications harm the oleophobic coating?

For a while, I used Whoosh, the same cleaner Apple Genius uses on all their screens I found isopropyl unnecessary most of the time, with the exception of a quick cleaning before installing on a screen protector. Now just spray a mist of filtered water on a microfiber and wipe the screen with coatings. Only poorly coated screen protector needs more than water or the screen has heavy oil on it.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I know alcohol wipes are not good for the oleophobic coating, but how much would several applications harm the oleophobic coating?

The alcohol will break down the coating quicker, however, not enough that you should be highly concerned. Survey results show most of the coating is worn off in one to two years (sadly) without any use of cleaners (i.e., people using just dry cloth(ing), or the steam in their breath/tiny amount of water on cloth(ing)).

Seriously do not waste your money on aftermarket oleophobic products. They’re kind of a pain to use. They are marginally effective. And they are wildly overpriced.

Y-e-a-h… To me, the application of such products was not difficult, although, the value is indeed poor at best. The first instance lasted about two months while a second attempt lasted only about a week. For ~$15 USD, those lengths are definitely not worthwhile.

So, I have resumed using primary distilled water on the Apple Watch display (until the coating wears off notably) and 70% isopropyl alcohol on my iPhone and iPads (which have no original/factory coating remaining). The annoyance is when the coating is completely gone, almost every touch looks like an oil slick. (Yes, I regularly clean and dry my hands.)

@Velin Does the RainX provide the anti-oil effect? For how long on average?

 

[Velin]

(@Velin Does the RainX provide the anti-oil effect? For how long on average?

Yes. Maybe a month if you simply clean the watch with a soft cloth, possibly more. If you use chemicals or cleaners RainX will be removed quickly. The real advantage of RainX is ultra-low price and pretty good slickness. It’s most noticeable on iPad, you can tell you’ve got an ultra thin slick coating on the iPad screen and the iPad cover doesn’t leave as many marks.

I‘m a big fan of it when I get around to using it. Now, I bet the automotive ceramic polishes/coatings are the best and probably last a long time, but I don’t want to buy them or deal with them. So RainX for me.

PS RainX is fantastic for the intended purpose, windshield and rain. No joke, you could drive in the rain without wipers with a fresh coating, it is amazing at shedding water from glass.

 

[TechRunner]

PS RainX is fantastic for the intended purpose, windshield and rain. No joke, you could drive in the rain without wipers with a fresh coating, it is amazing at shedding water from glass.

Sorry to go off topic, but I actually did this once. The windshield wiper motor in my vehicle died, and they said it would take a week to get a new one. With rain in the forecast for a few days, I asked the mechanic what I could do (I needed a car; 40-minute commute to work in those days). He suggested Rain X, and it amazed me. For the light-to-normal rain I drove in, it worked nearly as well as having wipers.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Yes. Maybe a month if you simply clean the watch with a soft cloth, possibly more. If you use chemicals or cleaners RainX will be removed quickly. The real advantage of RainX is ultra-low price and pretty good slickness.

If by slickness you mean the ease of moving your finger, it is nice though not important to me. I want the clean/clearer visual benefit of skin oils, etc not as easily transferred to the screen (i.e., doesn’t look like a pet walked over your iDevice a few times after you’ve used it). Of course, ultimately, wear and tear is inevitable. Like new car smell, the pristine screen look and feel will continue to be one of the satisfying aspects of buying anew. ☺️

 

[Glory Baker]

As far as I know anything over 50% alcohol will damage your display oleophobic coating.

 

[Al Rukh]

This is my theory, when Apple says it is “safe” to use IPA to wipe the screen, it means the screen will not be damaged via cracking, staining or anything in between.

Oleophobic coating is a feature that wears off over time. If it does, the screen is not damaged because it is not deemed unusable. IPA or any alcohol (at any concentrations) will degrade the oleophobic coating faster than normal use. This is why I never ever install screen protectors on my devices. The adhesive they use might affect the coating once the protectors get peeled.

 

[Itinj24]

This is my theory, when Apple says it is “safe” to use IPA to wipe the screen, it means the screen will not be damaged via cracking, staining or anything in between.

Oleophobic coating is a feature that wears off over time. If it does, the screen is not damaged because it is not deemed unusable. IPA or any alcohol (at any concentrations) will degrade the oleophobic coating faster than normal use. This is why I never ever install screen protectors on my devices. The adhesive they use might affect the coating once the protectors get peeled.

Agree with the last part…
There was a time I wouldn’t unbox any new device until I had a screen protector ready to go. I screen protected everything, even my MacBook Pro. When I had my iPhone 11PM, the screen protector started coming up in the edges so I went to replace it with another one. When I took the original one off, I had permanent blemishes on the screen that I suspect was the adhesive from the screen protector removing the oleophobic coating and it looked horrible. Never used one since. I feel so liberated lol.

 

[bluespark]

Some people are much more scratch-obsessed than others, but my advice is not to worry too much about scratches. You'll always see that sort of complaint online because few people, relatively speaking, are going to bother posting about the absence of scratches. The Apple Watch was designed to be used without a screen protector and it works just fine that way. Clean it with a microfiber cloth and perhaps a drop of water unless you absolutely need to get rid of germs.