Why does my 4S screen smudge so much worse now than when I got it?

[omgwut]

Hey,

Just wanted to make a thread and see if anyone else has had this happen to their iPhone? When I first got my 4S a few weeks ago my fingers could just slide across the screen like butter and left very, very, very few if no marks at all on the front glass. Now I can press my fingers on it with the smallest bit of pressure and fingerprints and smears and trails are instantly left behind, and I'm constantly wiping it clean with my shirt or some other soft fabric. It hasn't become just a cosmetic thing either but a usage one too, as the smudges create more friction on the glass and so I'm making gestures and whatnot with more irregularity and pressure than I did before. This especially sucks for some games like Dead Space. The butter-smooth experience of the first week or two seems to have gone, haha.

Even after I wipe the glass clean, when I breathe on it the smudges appear again temporarily -- like the fog on the glass makes the shapes show up before it evaporates. Is this normal, or is there something I should be treating it with to solve this? My hands are always washed clean too, so it shouldn't be oil residue or whatever.

Thanks guys.

 

[isoft7]

Supposedly, the oleophobic coating Apple uses wears off quickly... or rather, they used several layers of it on the 4s, and the layer which gave it the slick feel of new wears off quickly.

That or you had a chemical on your fingers at one point that ate away at the protective layers.

 

[omgwut]

Damn, that's some weak-ass oleophobic coating if that's the case. If it were, do you think an Apple retail store would replace it under my hardware warranty?

 

[TM WAZZA]

Oleophobic coating wearing off.

When I had a SGS2 the oleophobic coating has worn off. When you wipe the screen, it will look clean. But when you breathe on it little spots appears. Supposedly they are spots where the coating has worn off..

----------

This is a thread I found when I was looking for similar problems I found on my SGS2.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=902132&page=2

Some photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58024219@N02/5335241444

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58024219@N02/5335241624

These photos above were exactly my problems.

 

[Thetonyk123]

Hey,

Just wanted to make a thread and see if anyone else has had this happen to their iPhone? When I first got my 4S a few weeks ago my fingers could just slide across the screen like butter and left very, very, very few if no marks at all on the front glass. Now I can press my fingers on it with the smallest bit of pressure and fingerprints and smears and trails are instantly left behind, and I'm constantly wiping it clean with my shirt or some other soft fabric. It hasn't become just a cosmetic thing either but a usage one too, as the smudges create more friction on the glass and so I'm making gestures and whatnot with more irregularity and pressure than I did before. This especially sucks for some games like Dead Space. The butter-smooth experience of the first week or two seems to have gone, haha.

Even after I wipe the glass clean, when I breathe on it the smudges appear again temporarily -- like the fog on the glass makes the shapes show up before it evaporates. Is this normal, or is there something I should be treating it with to solve this? My hands are always washed clean too, so it shouldn't be oil residue or whatever.

Thanks guys.

I hate Apple's screen glass...

 

[iSayuSay]

Dang .. I thought oleo phobic coating is a hard coating that stick well on the glass? Just like teflon on frying pan?

Sure it's normal to wear off, but a normal iPhone screen would only be touched by fingers, something soft, meaty and all , and it's still wear off easily?

Dang that's weak, .. and so I thought my iPhone 4 still have oleo phobic layer on top of it

 

[xlii]

Nothing is wrong with your screen but you need to lay off the Halloween candy before using your phone.

 

[macingman]

I doubt the Oleophobic coating can wear of within a month. I think they extra smudges may just be due to things you touch for example if you have just washed your hands there would be less oil to transfer onto the screen then if you had just been eating a burger and chips and has oily hands.

 

[ddublu]

Get the Power Support anti-glare HD protector. It keeps the glass in pristine condition and your fingers slide over it perfectly.

 

[steeler]

First, I have an iPhone 4, and have experienced a similar issue.

1. Your hands need to be clean - even slightly greasy food and iPhone = messy screen, until you clean it.

2. You need to use a clean lint-free cloth when you wipe it clean. I read in another thread that automotive lint-free cloths work, and I am planning to try those. I use a cloth diaper slightly damp from water and it does a pretty good job. Toilet tissue also works, but I would advise against it since it does come apart and could clog the home button with tiny debris. I used a bit of toilet tissue the other day and my screen is fabulous.

 

[KPOM]

I use the microfiber cloths that are used to clean eyeglasses. With eyeglass coatings, a big caution is not to let harsh chemicals or alcohol anywhere near the lens, so I'd also treat the coating the same way.