Can a clear case stain your iPhone?

I thought was just some dust or some sort of residue, but no matter what I tried to do, the stains wouldn’t come off. Even the case branding was faintly embossed onto the iPhone.

The evidence speaks for itself.

You can see the Spigen branding transferred over to the blue anodized aluminum on the iPhone 13 mini…

along with “Air cushion technology.”

Every side of the device has stains that are a direct result of the clear case being on the device for 3 years and 9 months. How do I know the case was on the device for 3 years and 9 months? The seller told me he had this case on since he bought the device brand new, and after looking up the serial number, it was purchased in September 2021.

I believe him.

Over time, the oxidation, UVA light, and heat got to the case giving it a yellow fade, and also transferring some of that tinge via a chemical reaction to the iPhone itself.

Maybe Apple can put these photos in a future version of “Designed by Apple in California,” and my phone could compete with Evans Hankey’s iPhone.

Although this particular case is less than 4 years old, the actual case was probably released alongside the iPhone 12 mini, making the chemical recipe of this case 5 years old. Case makers have gotten better since then, making clear cases that are less prone to turning yellow. Apple’s clear cases also change color after many years, but they haven’t left any stains on my phone nor my wife’s phone. My wife had a 12 Pro Max with an Apple clear case for almost four years, and no stains. Granted, her phone was made of stainless steel instead of aluminum. She does have a clear case on her aluminum iPhone 16 Plus, so we’ll see what happens after a few years.

You can clearly see (pun intended) the exposed parts of the phone were spared from staining.

Could this issue have been avoided with some good-old phone hygiene by taking the phone out of the case and cleaning it once a week? Even once a month? I would say yes. The fact is sweat and hand oils do get inside cases, and prolonged contact with heat and UV light will discolor it.

The irony of the situation is hilarious, since the phone was supposed to be protected by the case, and instead got permanently stained by it.