Other How do you get over wanting to keep the phone pristine?

[alpi123]

To give this some perspective, do you obsess about keeping other things you own so pristine?

If they are so shiny and premium looking, yes.

To OP: I'm even more addicted: I have full body clear skin and even put skin for the buttons, and on top of that I'm using a Spigen Ultra Hybrid but dust gets between the buttons. I have full screen body protector, but indeed full screen (it's even curved).

I'm somewhat already sick of doing my best to keep this phone scratch free and it's giving me anxiety. There are literally people out there who don't put either case or a protector and are just fine.

I don't even plan on selling the phone. If that was the case, I'd try to keep it clean.

If my phone was silver, I wouldn't worry much about it. You can remove scratches off the stainless steel pretty easily.

 

[eyoungren]

At first the scratches will bother me, but then I think of the scratches as adding character.

I'm that way when my phone is new, but past the two year mark when the device is paid off, or past the first scratch I see things the same way.

To me it's simply a mark that I use my phone, rather than it being a museum piece or a status symbol. It becomes 'worn in'. And that's the final kicker. These things are made to be used. That's what they are designed to do and be. So using them is fulfilling their purpose.

And it's that feeling, that I am using the device as it was originally intended, that has me let all that go.
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There are literally people out there who don't put either case or a protector and are just fine.

Guilty. Don't use cases, don't like them.

My phones are all in good condtion.

 

[ucfgrad93]

You accept the fact that the phone is exactly what it is, a tool. It’s not meant to stay pristine or in ‘Perfect condition’, it’s meant to be used on a daily basis, and Accrue scratches or Scuffs, it’s considered normal, what is abnormal, is worrying about keeping a tech device pristine.

Well said. I put a glass screen protector and a case on my iPhone 8. I do that not to keep it pristine, but to prevent more serious damage.

 

[ritmomundo]

I'm going to take a crack at this.

You're subconsciously trying to keep the resale value as high as possible.

iPhones in pristine condition will probably only get you about $50-100 more than one covered in dings and scratches, depending on your model and when/where you sell it. So you've gotta decide for yourself, is that measly extra hundo worth your daily anxiety?

 

[1rottenapple]

I've owned my iPhone 8 for a little over a year now, basically got it around launch. I was crazy obsessed about keeping it immaculate. I would put a full dbrand skin on the phone and then use a case. I wasn't always like this. Recently after taking the skin off I saw small paint chips at the bottom. And its been bugging me since.

Its supposed to be a tool and nothing more but I dont really know why I am bothering about it so much. Has anyone dealt with something similar and gotten over it?

Ok like you I was like that. Nice car, clean, all the time. Same thing with the phone. Case, etc...

Due to m y commute I got a cheap car (I commute 90miles per say). I leave the nice car in the garage. Now it’s soo nice to park anywhere without obsessing about it. I can park anywhere now.

Same thing I got a used xr with scratches for A great price. Using it with just a skin for grip. Obsession is much lower. Free yourself and search for acceptance in life.

 

[the-bigwig]

I'll give you another perspective. After you see some wear and tear, you can actually use your phone as a REAL phone, as it should be. That's the point where you "start" to feel it like you actually own it. You can place it whenever you want, on a brick or on a dirty table, whatever. You can hand it to a kid without any worries and you can go to a pub and don't be bothered by dropping it off the table. And when im saying that, I've got my XS Max in a sturdy case and with a screen protector in absolutely perfect condition but I'm not THAT worried about scratches, but about stupidly expensive to repair shattered front and back glass. Wear'd phones are still damn fun to use but I want to keep my XS as immaculate as much as possible. BUT when it happens, it happens.

 

[Spoon!]

By keeping my phone pristine with a case and screen protector.

 

[cableguy84]

I dont give a **** about cosmetic damage to my phone, as long as the thing works properly.

 

[posguy99]

I don't. It's a tool, not a small child. I keep it in a case because I'm a klutz and if I break it, I'll be without it.

 

[jtara]

I have ATT Next Every Year. I keep my phone in an Apple PRODUCT(RED) silicon case. No screen protector - I gave those up years ago.

ATT has never complained about the condition of the phone when I return it for the next year's model. That's good enough for me!

I always turn it in in person at an ATT store. That way, the employee signs-off on the physical condition right then and there, and I have proof that they received it. Every time, they have commented on what good condition it is in. They really are not very susceptible to scratching any more. IMO, older models did need screen protectors.

I have NEVER broken a screen. The silicon case is enough to protect against an occasional drop. A friend once ran over one with his car. I was parallel-parked in front of him. My phone fell out of my pocket as I got into the car, and he drove over it. It wasn't intentional.

Another friend dropped his iPhone off of my 4th floor (plus 2 story garage) balcony. He recovered it from the bushes. It was fine.

I have never had AppleCare or any kind of special insurance on my iPhone/iPad/any Apple equipment that I own. And have never needed it. I used to get the over-priced Asurion insurance on "smart" flip phones, LOL. And I needed it! (Though it still was not an economic plus in the long run.) I do use a company iMac Pro that has AppleCare. It makes sense for a cost piece of equipment that is essential.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Happened for me when I removed my leather case yesterday to clean around the camera opening. My silver XS has been in the case since the day I bought it (just over a month now) and the was a good amount of scratching in the upper right corner from what I'm guessing was dirt or dust that worked its way under (there's always an accumulation of dust in that corner for some reason).

I haven't put the case back on since and haven't felt the least bit concerned about where I set it.

 

[bushman4]

There’s no reason to get over wanting to keep your iPhone pristine
It will serve you better during the time you use it and bring you more money when you sell it if the iPhone is pristine

 

[janeauburn]

My 6 Plus is still in great shape. Clean it once in a while with a micro fiber cloth. Gives me that new phone feeling all over again.

Battery health: 100 percent. Awesome.

 

[smirking]

Same goes for my car. I usually lose interest once things start becoming a little old which is kind of weird.

If you learn to appreciate old things maybe you won’t fear things aging around you so much. I’ve been driving the same car for 18 years. I did get initially get bored with it, but at some point my car had been with me for so long that it became an old friend and an extension of me.

You could offer me a brand new Tesla in a straight up trade and I wouldn’t want to do it. There are things money can’t buy. You can’t buy almost 20 years worth of memories and experiences retold through every scratch, ding, and dent.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/dropped-iphone-xs-max-down-the-toilet.2164636/
I no longer have any qualms about my phone...

 

[AppleHaterLover]

Happened for me when I removed my leather case yesterday to clean around the camera opening. My silver XS has been in the case since the day I bought it (just over a month now) and the was a good amount of scratching in the upper right corner from what I'm guessing was dirt or dust that worked its way under (there's always an accumulation of dust in that corner for some reason).

I haven't put the case back on since and haven't felt the least bit concerned about where I set it.

This is how I got my XR.

I took the case off my 7+, decided it was perfectly good and would not be replaced before iPhone XI.

Within a week it fell and the screen broke into a million pieces. Almost $900 later i have a new XR with a case and screen protector.

 

[janeauburn]

If you learn to appreciate old things maybe you won’t fear things aging around you so much. I’ve been driving the same car for 18 years. I did get initially get bored with it, but at some point my car had been with me for so long that it became an old friend and an extension of me.

You could offer me a brand new Tesla in a straight up trade and it wouldn’t want to do it. There are things money can’t buy. You can’t buy almost 20 years worth of memories and experiences retold through every scratch and scar.

Cars are so boring to me. I would never buy a car before my current one absolutely died. What a huge waste of money. Same goes for buying iPhones before the one you're using dies.

Love my 6 Plus. It's thin, light, and has a great screen. I try the newer ones, but they always disappoint for one reason or another. Too fat, too heavy.

 

[Rodneyp]

I put mine in a decent case that protects it around all sides and then add a screen protector. Until I have these two done I am a bit nervous with it. Once I have it protected I do not worry about it. My phones always look like they are in mint condition when I get rid of them and I have yet to crack a screen on a device.

 

[janeauburn]

I put mine in a decent case that protects it around all sides and then add a screen protector. Until I have these two done I am a bit nervous with it. Once I have it protected I do not worry about it. My phones always look like they are in mint condition when I get rid of them and I have yet to crack a screen on a device.

I still miss my old indestructible Blackberry. Would never have imagined putting a "case" on that great device. I dropped it more times than I can count: concrete, wood floors, asphalt, you name it. When I dropped it, it would come apart in 3 places: battery fell out, back cover off, phone elsewhere. I put 'em all back together, and voila, worked just fine.

Why can't Apple do that with its phones? Bah!

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

This is how I got my XR.

I took the case off my 7+, decided it was perfectly good and would not be replaced before iPhone XI.

Within a week it fell and the screen broke into a million pieces. Almost $900 later i have a new XR with a case and screen protector.

Oof.​

I still miss my old indestructible Blackberry. Would never have imagined putting a "case" on that great device. I dropped it more times than I can count: concrete, wood floors, asphalt, you name it. When I dropped it, it would come apart in 3 places: battery fell out, back cover off, phone elsewhere. I put 'em all back together, and voila, worked just fine.

Why can't Apple do that with its phones? Bah!

They could but then you wouldn't have the lovely experience of touching bare glass to interact with it. Shatterproof glass is the next trillion-dollar idea.

 

[Kanyay]

Time.

 

[janeauburn]

Oof.​

They could but then you wouldn't have the lovely experience of touching bare glass to interact with it. Shatterproof glass is the next trillion-dollar idea.

Bah! I never touch the stupid glass except when I take it out of a case. Ditch the glass. It's too heavy anyway.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Bah! I never touch the stupid glass except when I take it out of a case. Ditch the glass. It's too heavy anyway.

I was talking about the screen.

 

[nburwell]

I still try to keep all my tech in mint condition. However, a scratch on the screen here and there isn't going to make me go out and buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, digital camera, etc. I have come to accept that wear and tear on devices is normal.

I mean, you can always keep the device in the original box and just look at it. But then what's the point?

 

[akash.nu]

I still miss my old indestructible Blackberry. Would never have imagined putting a "case" on that great device. I dropped it more times than I can count: concrete, wood floors, asphalt, you name it. When I dropped it, it would come apart in 3 places: battery fell out, back cover off, phone elsewhere. I put 'em all back together, and voila, worked just fine.

Why can't Apple do that with its phones? Bah!

Not a competition against this!