Jet Black Finish New Problem (not scratching)

[kjparfekt]

I've had a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus for a little while now and was extremely concerned about scratches based on early reviews, the Apple disclaimer, and viewing a demo unit in store before mine arrived. I thought a case would defeat the purpose of the Jet Black color and would end up leading to micro-scratches from debris and dust getting between the case and the phone. I figured the only way to not end up with scratches and still show off the phone was a clear wrap.

I quickly realized why I had not used a wrap in years - yes they're great at protecting from scratches but they can be a pain to install. My first install had to be removed because the cut of the Slickwraps Naked had corner flaps slightly too long which caused overlap with the top section and very small creases. I noticed people were worried about removing a wrap or skin if they changed their mind so I recorded myself removing it to show that the phone is as good as new once removed.

This brings me to the new problem I discovered with the Jet Black finish. It appears that the writing:
iPhone
Designed by Apple in California...
FCC ID: ...

is applied on top of the Jet Black coating/finish.

The writing actually came off onto the clear Slickwraps just like pulling silly putty off of a newspaper comic strip. If you're one of the people hoping to keep their phone in brand new out of the box condition this might cause a problem for you. I don't know if the writing came off because the wrap is sticky or because it was a wet install meaning getting your phone wet then drying the phone could lead to the writing rubbing off.

I made a video showing the problem if you want to see for yourself:

I'm sure for some people this won't be a concern. They might even want to purposefully remove the text because it makes the design cleaner with only the Apple logo, camera and flash on the back.

 

[AndrewR23]

Whoa that is an awesome find.

 

[Geert76]

This morning I removed/peeled of the Alien Skin (by Nanostate) of my jetblack iPhone. Fortunally I did not experience what you did, the writing is still there.

 

[44267547]

I've had a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus for a little while now and was extremely concerned about scratches based on early reviews, the Apple disclaimer, and viewing a demo unit in store before mine arrived. I thought a case would defeat the purpose of the Jet Black color and would end up leading to micro-scratches from debris and dust getting between the case and the phone. I figured the only way to not end up with scratches and still show off the phone was a clear wrap.

I quickly realized why I had not used a wrap in years - yes they're great at protecting from scratches but they can be a pain to install. My first install had to be removed because the cut of the Slickwraps Naked had corner flaps slightly too long which caused overlap with the top section and very small creases. I noticed people were worried about removing a wrap or skin if they changed their mind so I recorded myself removing it to show that the phone is as good as new once removed.

This brings me to the new problem I discovered with the Jet Black finish. It appears that the writing:
iPhone
Designed by Apple in California...
FCC ID: ...

is applied on top of the Jet Black coating/finish.

The writing actually came off onto the clear Slickwraps just like pulling silly putty off of a newspaper comic strip. If you're one of the people hoping to keep their phone in brand new out of the box condition this might cause a problem for you. I don't know if the writing came off because the wrap is sticky or because it was a wet install meaning getting your phone wet then drying the phone could lead to the writing rubbing off.

I made a video showing the problem if you want to see for yourself:

I'm sure for some people this won't be a concern. They might even want to purposefully remove the text because it makes the design cleaner with only the Apple logo, camera and flash on the back.

The only thing I could see being an issue is the resale of the iPhone. One might believe with the writing missing, it could appear as a counterfeit. That's at least how I perceive it.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

Didn't I point this out in your original post, and you assured me that the lettering did not come off

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ective-skin-wrap.1998172/page-6#post-23635950

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ective-skin-wrap.1998172/page-6#post-23636254

Why the change in stance?

 

[kjparfekt]

Didn't I point this out in your original post, and you assured me that the lettering did not come off

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ective-skin-wrap.1998172/page-6#post-23635950

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ective-skin-wrap.1998172/page-6#post-23636254

Why the change in stance?

I think the wet application of the second wrap caused it to really fade. When I had just removed the wrap I looked at the device which was clean (without the new glossy skin) so I could see see the text fine. I remember your post. When I read it I found the bunched up wrap and didn't see the text on it.

Upon doing a second wet install the text became substantially less visible. On the second install I sprayed the "Naked Juice" directly onto the device rather than onto the wrap. I asked a friend that had water tested his phone if he noticed anything odd with the writing and he said he thought maybe it was faded but he could still read it so he wasn't sure if it was just the way it looked with the glossy finish. That's when I unfolded the old wrap and really looked at it to find that it had the faintest bit of writing on it that I hadn't seen before.

If the text coming off is from water I think substantially more people will be affected by this then if its from the stickiness of a skin. I feel like I can't be the only person that puts their phone down next to the bathroom sink and the bottom sometimes gets a little wet and I wipe it off on my towel.

Did not mean to steer you wrong if you're concerned about losing the text if you install a skin. Hope the follow up video helps. Definitely confirms your suspicion.
[doublepost=1475830441][/doublepost]

The only thing I could see being an issue is the resale of the iPhone. One might believe with the writing missing, it could appear as a counterfeit. That's at least how I perceive it.

True since the writing contains the FCC ID, the IC and IMEI

 

[maka344]

Very interesting...

 

[bizack]

I think the wet application of the second wrap caused it to really fade. When I had just removed the wrap I looked at the device which was clean (without the new glossy skin) so I could see see the text fine. I remember your post. When I read it I found the bunched up wrap and didn't see the text on it.

Upon doing a second wet install the text became substantially less visible. On the second install I sprayed the "Naked Juice" directly onto the device rather than onto the wrap. I asked a friend that had water tested his phone if he noticed anything odd with the writing and he said he thought maybe it was faded but he could still read it so he wasn't sure if it was just the way it looked with the glossy finish. That's when I unfolded the old wrap and really looked at it to find that it had the faintest bit of writing on it that I hadn't seen before.

If the text coming off is from water I think substantially more people will be affected by this then if its from the stickiness of a skin. I feel like I can't be the only person that puts their phone down next to the bathroom sink and the bottom sometimes gets a little wet and I wipe it off on my towel.

Did not mean to steer you wrong if you're concerned about losing the text if you install a skin. Hope the follow up video helps. Definitely confirms your suspicion.
[doublepost=1475830441][/doublepost]

True since the writing contains the FCC ID, the IC and IMEI

Seems like it's the stickiness of the skin. I just installed a BSE on my JB but removed it pretty quickly after disliking how a skin looks. After seeing this video, I dug the skin out of the trash and wow, that thing is really really REALLY sticky. I don't think the water has anything to do with it.

 

[ksyu]

Same with my JB 7+.

I had a normal protector on for about 1 minute and took it off. The writing peels right off.

EDIT: need to block out my IMEI

Re-uploaded

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

Same with my JB 7+.

I had a normal protector on for about 1 minute and took it off. The writing peels right off.

EDIT: need to block out my IMEI

Re-uploaded

View attachment 663628 View attachment 663629

Can you post a pic of what the phone looks like?

Also, does it peel off any of the Apple logo?

 

[ksyu]

Can you post a pic of what the phone looks like?

Also, does it peel off any of the Apple logo?

New to the forum. Have I not correctly attached my images?

Apple logo is fine, but the printing on the bottom came off clean.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

New to the forum. Have I not correctly attached my images?

Apple logo is fine, but the printing on the bottom came off clean.

I see the pics of the skins. But none of the actual phone.

Is the phone completely naked now where the lettering used to be? Is it 100% clean and smooth?

 

[bizack]

New to the forum. Have I not correctly attached my images?

Apple logo is fine, but the printing on the bottom came off clean.

The Apple logo is a separate piece of metal (it's not the same material as the body of the phone) thats adhered from inside the phone (there's a cutout in the body and the logo is pushed through the cutout). It would take some fluke of physics for it to 'come off.'

 

[ksyu]

I see the pics of the skins. But none of the actual phone.

Is the phone completely naked now where the lettering used to be? Is it 100% clean and smooth?

I don't have another phone to take the picture.

The writing has faded substantially. If you were to repeat the process, I would say it'll completely come off clean and smooth.

It doesn't detract it from its beauty, but it may affect resale?

 

[x-evil-x]

id like the phone more without the iPhone label and all that other stuff on it honestly. Just the apple logo sounds nice to me

 

[kjparfekt]

id like the phone more without the iPhone label and all that other stuff on it honestly. Just the apple logo sounds nice to me

Agreed. Apple even battled to not have to put the FCC logos on the device. Maybe this printing that can be removed was intentional or at least realized by Apple and left.

 

[bizack]

Agreed. Apple even battled to not have to put the FCC logos on the device. Maybe this printing that can be removed was intentional or at least realized by Apple and left.

Doubtful. They're not being forced to put 'iPhone' anywhere on the device. That's purely a branding decision. Seems like it's just a good idea to keep skins away from the Jet Black.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

For those who ARE putting a case on their iPhone and are worried about dust and dirt getting in between the iPhone and the case and causing micro scratches and such, do what i've done on my iPhone 6 and 7--it's free! Just take the plastic wrap that came with the phone, cut out the area of the camera lens, and reapply it to the back of a clean iPhone. Put your case on, and now your iPhone back will always be as pristine as the day it came out of the box! Since you'll never see the back (with the case on), it offers perfect and FREE protection.

 

[idoccurt]

I was going to get jet black...glad I didn't...just a pain

 

[johnjey]

lol

 

[vistokid]

I'm in Canada and the IMEI is not listed on the back of the phone. Rest of the stuff I'm happy to have gone.

 

[kjparfekt]

Doubtful. They're not being forced to put 'iPhone' anywhere on the device. That's purely a branding decision. Seems like it's just a good idea to keep skins away from the Jet Black.

In their promotional pictures online they look like they usually don't have the writing, just the Apple logo. I think Apple writes iPhone so the other text they have to write isn't a focus.

 

[bluespark]

In their promotional pictures online they look like they usually don't have the writing, just the Apple logo. I think Apple writes iPhone so the other text they have to write isn't a focus.

I agree with this. If they didn't have to add the additional text, they probably wouldn't add "iPhone," either. They might be entirely comfortable with the idea of people taking the lettering off themselves.

 

[willmtaylor]

I've had a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus for a little while now and was extremely concerned about scratches based on early reviews, the Apple disclaimer, and viewing a demo unit in store before mine arrived. I thought a case would defeat the purpose of the Jet Black color and would end up leading to micro-scratches from debris and dust getting between the case and the phone. I figured the only way to not end up with scratches and still show off the phone was a clear wrap.

I quickly realized why I had not used a wrap in years - yes they're great at protecting from scratches but they can be a pain to install. My first install had to be removed because the cut of the Slickwraps Naked had corner flaps slightly too long which caused overlap with the top section and very small creases. I noticed people were worried about removing a wrap or skin if they changed their mind so I recorded myself removing it to show that the phone is as good as new once removed.

This brings me to the new problem I discovered with the Jet Black finish. It appears that the writing:
iPhone
Designed by Apple in California...
FCC ID: ...

is applied on top of the Jet Black coating/finish.

The writing actually came off onto the clear Slickwraps just like pulling silly putty off of a newspaper comic strip. If you're one of the people hoping to keep their phone in brand new out of the box condition this might cause a problem for you. I don't know if the writing came off because the wrap is sticky or because it was a wet install meaning getting your phone wet then drying the phone could lead to the writing rubbing off.

I made a video showing the problem if you want to see for yourself:

I'm sure for some people this won't be a concern. They might even want to purposefully remove the text because it makes the design cleaner with only the Apple logo, camera and flash on the back.

For some reason, a mod deemed these two threads different, but someone has found your YouTube video and started another thread about it: Removing Skin rubs Off iPhone Engraving {sic}

Just thought you ought to know, so these two conversations could be connected.

 

[maka344]

My iPhone logo was have faded out of the box.