Technologies

The Official Reason for Those iPhone 17 Scratches, According to Apple

We explore the technical flaw in Apple’s MagSafe demo stands that resulted in scratches on the iPhone 17’s screen.

If you’ve been scrolling through social media this week, you’ve probably seen the mini-panic over brand-new iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone Air demo units looking scuffed up in Apple Stores.

Well, Apple has finally solved the great «scratch-gate» mystery, and the answer is a little embarrassing. It turns out the phones aren’t actually scratched. Instead, some of the store’s old, worn-out MagSafe display stands were literally rubbing off and leaving marks on the back of the shiny new iPhones.

Apple says the residue can be easily wiped off and that it’s fixing the issue with its displays. So no, the new phones aren’t mysteriously fragile. It turns out that the display stands just needed a good cleaning.

Not all scratches are equal, and the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max’s shape could make the anodized coating susceptible to chipping. People are also reacting to videos from iFixIt and Zach Nelson’s YouTube channel JerryRigEverything. The videos show a possible issue with the anodized coating around the edges of the camera plateau on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. In his video, Nelson takes a quarter and rubs it along the edge of the camera plateau, causing the coating to chip.

Apple explained to CNET that the anodization on the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max is just as durable as that on other products. However, over time, it may show small abrasions with normal wear and tear. The company said that its anodization layer is extremely hard and exceeds industry standard guidelines for microhardness.

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Concerns about scratching and durability come on the heels of one of Apple’s biggest iPhone redesigns in years. And while marks and scratches don’t affect how Apple’s phones work, no one wants to have a new $800-plus iPhone look anything but the best it can. The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro units CNET has been testing for the past two weeks don’t show any scratches, chips or scuffs.

If you’re concerned about your new iPhone getting scuffed, you can always buy a case and screen protector.

What is the iPhone 17 Pro made of?

The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max bodies are made with aerospace-grade 7000 series aluminum, Ceramic Shield and Ceramic Shield 2. The Pro models have an aluminum unibody frame, which means a lot of the back is no longer made of glass.

While some on social media point to the new aluminum chassis as the problem behind the demo-unit damage, multiple videos show the scratches on the Ceramic Shield back panel on the dark blue iPhone 17 Pro (and on the black iPhone Air). There are even videos like this, where a person purposely scratches the back of their new iPhone Air only for the residue to wipe away, mostly clean.

Ceramic Shield, made of ceramic nano-crystals suspended in a glass matrix, covers most of the 17 Pro’s back under the camera bar. Apple says it is four times more resistant to cracks than the back glass on the iPhone 16 Pro.

Then there’s Ceramic Shield 2 on the 17 Pro’s display, which Apple says is three times more scratch-resistant than the Ceramic Shield used on previous iPhone models (and the backs of the new Pro and Air models).

During a briefing for the new iPhone models on the day they were announced, an Apple spokesperson noted that Ceramic Shield is focused on handling drops and resisting cracks, while Ceramic Shield 2 is about crack and scratch durability.

JerryRigEverything’s video and anodizing on the edge

In his iPhone 17 Pro video, JerryRigEverything’s Nelson does his usual array of scratch, bend and burn tests, but calls out a possible issue with the anodized coating on the iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum.

«Apple forgot to do one really important thing. They ignored an international standard. And it’s going to haunt every single person who buys this phone,» Nelson warns in his video.

The ISO standard Nelson refers to is for decorative anodizing and recommends a specific radius threshold that’s 10 times the thickness of the finish, which apparently the edge around the camera bar doesn’t follow.

Apple explained to CNET that its anodization on the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max exceeds industry standards and that the edges of the camera plateau have similar characteristics to the edges of the anodized cases on other Apple products.

In his video, Nelson explains that corners, like those around the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera plateau, are weak points for an anodized coating. Think of the anodized layer on the aluminum like nail polish: It gives the phone its color but also helps protect it. If the coating gets scratched too deeply, you can see the actual metal color of the aluminum underneath. More people are likely to notice the damage on darker colors than cosmic orange.

In his video, Nelson shows how the corners around the 17 Pro’s camera plateau are particularly a concern because they lack a chamfer, fillet or bevel, which would typically help protect the edge from having its anodized coating chipped. He acknowledges that Apple used a robust coating and shows how it protects the back against a coin sliding against it or a key scraped on it.

But when he takes the same quarter and rubs it along the edge of the camera plateau, chunks of the finish come off.

I should note that Nelson made all of the scratches on the phone’s body with a knife, which leads me to suspect that someone may have intentionally scratched in-store demo units, in addition to Apple’s explanation about the MagSafe risers.

It could also be that people were holding multiple iPhone display samples one-handed for a photo or video, and that the sapphire crystal covering on the rear cameras rubbed against the back of the other iPhone. Sapphire crystal is second only to diamond in terms of its hardness. As anyone who’s had a retail job knows, in-store display units are often subjected to some of the worst customer treatment.

«I’m a massive fan of this new iPhone design,» says Nelson toward the end of his video. «Less glass and more aluminum is always a good thing.»

iFixIt’s ‘spalling’ iPhone 17 Pro teardown

In iFixIt’s iPhone 17 Pro teardown video, Shahram Mokhtari, the company’s lead teardown technician, confirmed Nelson’s finding of an issue with the anodized coating on the camera plateau’s edges. Mokhtari said the issue isn’t the aluminum unibody but the shape of the phone’s camera bump. The plateau’s sharp edges don’t adhere to the anodized coating, but flat surfaces, like the phone’s back, do.

Under a microscope, Mokhtari drags a hardness tool (equivalent to a penny) across the flat back of the camera plateau. You can see where he dragged, but the anodized coating is still intact. He drags the same tool across the edge of the camera plateau, and the coating chips off, revealing the metal underneath. The technical term for this is spalling.

«When there’s an edge to the oxide layer, like at the edge of the camera plateau, the brittle oxide bears the stress of your keys or coins rubbing against it. And so it spalls,» Mokhtari explains in the video.

He also acknowledges that iFixIt hasn’t seen the same level of vulnerability on the iPhone Air and standard iPhone 17 because their backs are made of Ceramic Shield and glass, respectively.

Are the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air durable?

In short, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air are durable, yes. But normal wear and tear on iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models could cause small abrasions to show. These issues won’t change how the phone operates or is used, but putting a case on the Pro models seems like the only way to avoid any chipping.

The iPhone Air and baseline iPhone 17 don’t seem to have the same issue with spalling that Pro models have because their backs are made of glass.

If you find that your new iPhone is scratched or has some of the anodized coating chipped off, take it back to where you bought it and see if you can exchange it. If those scratches were done deliberately, you’re likely stuck with it.

If you’re worried about your new iPhone getting damaged, the best solution is a case. Luckily, you have plenty of options.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 18, #1011

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 18 #1011.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is pretty tricky, but musicians might find the blue group easy. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Time between two things, maybe.

Green group hint: That smarts!

Blue group hint: Rockers know these well.

Purple group hint: You might write one out to pay a bill.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Interval.

Green group: React to a stubbed toe.

Blue group: Guitar effects pedals.

Purple group: ____ check.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is interval. The four answers are patch, period, spell and stretch.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is react to a stubbed toe. The four answers are curse, hop, wince and yell.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is guitar effects pedals. The four answers are delay, reverb, wah and whammy.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ check. The four answers are blank, coat, rain and reality.

Toughest Connections puzzles

We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.

#5: Included «things you can set,» such as mood, record, table and volleyball.

#4: Included «one in a dozen,» such as egg, juror, month and rose.

#3: Included «streets on screen,» such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.

#2: Included «power ___» such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.

#1: Included «things that can run,» such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

Technologies

My Kid Wanted Video Games. I Was Against It. This Console Gave Us Both the Win

The movement-based Nex Playground might be the antidote to parental screen time guilt.

When our 8-year-old started asking for video games, I knew we were about to engage in an uphill battle. Anytime we’ve been to friends’ houses with gaming consoles, he goes full zombie mode, then has an epic meltdown once the sensory overload wears off. And since he inevitably ropes his 6-year-old brother in, we’re essentially sealing both their fates.

So when our neighbors started raving about a movement-based gaming console called Nex Playground, my first instinct was to shut it down. The words «gaming console» alone were enough to put me in a mental block. Add in my own memories of Wii tennis sessions where I nearly took out the ceiling fan, and I was firmly in the «no» camp.

But after doing a little more research, I was intrigued enough to try it out.

Screen time isn’t something I take lightly. With three kids ages 2 to 8, my husband and I have always been intentional about how and what they watch. They don’t have their own tablets, and most of their screen time happens on our family TV, which means whatever the oldest is exposed to quickly trickles down to our toddler. So anything we bring into the house has to work for all of them. Tall order, I know, but the Nex Playground gets surprisingly close.

Getting started is easy

The console itself is refreshingly simple. It’s a small cube, slightly larger than a Rubik’s cube, with a circular camera and motion sensor, a light indicator and two ports for power, and an HDMI connection to the TV. There’s no controller beyond a basic remote for navigating menus. For most games, your body is the controller.

Setup is quick. Plug it in, connect it to your TV, and you’re ready to go. It doesn’t store video or upload footage to the cloud, which was an immediate plus. It also comes with a magnetic privacy cover that you can put on the lens when it’s not in use.

At $250, it’s not cheap, but it’s less than some of the popular gaming consoles for this age range, like the Nintendo Switch 2. That gets you a five-game starter pack: Fruit Ninja, Go Keeper (soccer), Starri (think Guitar Hero for your whole body), Party Fowl (an AR emoji frenzy) and Whack-a-Mole. Additional games require a subscription: $89 a year or $49 for three months, which unlocks a library of 50-plus games and counting. New titles dropped even as I was writing this.

The library spans a surprisingly wide range. There are board game adaptations like Connect Four and Candy Land, character-driven games with Peppa Pig, Bluey and the Ninja Turtles, and sports like baseball and, yes, tennis — minus the ceiling fan hazard. There’s even parent-friendly content like Zumba workouts, which I may or may not have fully committed to on a rainy afternoon.

Even my toddler has gotten in on the action, mostly bouncing her way through Hungry Hungry Hippos when her brothers finally concede.

Gameplay is where it wins

The movements range from swinging your arms to keep a ball in motion, hopping or full-body launches that are far more aggressive than what the game actually requires. (I’m not about to tell the kids otherwise.) After a 45-minute session, my kids are tired and sometimes even drenched in sweat. The Nex Playground entertains and burns energy in one fell swoop.

The graphics also seem intentionally simple and arcade-like, which fits the minimalist play experience. There’s no POV storyline to get lost in, no leveling up into a new world at 9 p.m. on a school night. Some games keep score, which awakens my kids’ competitive streak, but the vibe is more collaborative and hasn’t been the catalyst for more fighting like other games. If anything, it’s done the opposite.

I still don’t love defaulting to a screen when my kids are bored, so we try to use it in moderation. In our house, piano practice is the only thing that unlocks weekend play time, and the fact that they’ll sit at the piano for a full hour tells you everything you need to know.

The verdict that matters most

But the real test: Does it hold up to an 8-year-old who was dead set on a Nintendo Switch?

Short answer: yes. At least for now. He’d still pick the Switch if you asked him, but not for the reasons you’d expect.

«The Playground is more tiring,» he told me, which only helped seal the deal for me. His current favorite is Homerun Hitters. «It’s basically a baseball game where you go against ranked global players. Me and my brother are really good at it.»

This from a kid whose primary hobby is annoying his younger brother. The fact that he said «me and my brother» as a collective was an unexpected bonus.

The Switch may still show up on the Christmas list this year. And realistically, I know I’m on borrowed time. As kids get older, «cool» becomes the currency, and a motion-based cube probably won’t hold up against an Xbox or a Switch once playdates turn into side-by-side gaming sessions.

The Nex Playground isn’t a replacement for those. It’s more of a detour; it gives them a taste of gaming without all the usual side effects. Even if I do eventually cave, I can still see it sticking around for the occasional family game night or as a rainy-day sibling diffuser.

In the meantime, I’ll relish this simpler version of gaming while I still can. He’s not exactly rushing me to return this review unit. More importantly, neither am I.

Technologies

Don’t Wait for New Emoji in iOS 26.4, Here’s How to Create Them on Your Own

If your iPhone has Apple Intelligence, you can create your own emoji now.

Apple will likely add new emoji to your iPhone when the company releases iOS 26.4. Those new emoji could include an orca, a distorted smiley face and more. According to Emojipedia, there are 3,953 emoji with more on the way. The current list of emoji include smileys, sports players, weather conditions and flags. But there’s no emoji for a dog wearing pajamas, a plate with burgers and fries and many other things. But if you have Genmoji on your iPhone you can create these emoji and many more.

Apple released iOS 18.2 in 2024 and the company introduced its own emoji generator, called Genmoji, to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones at that time. The Unicode Standard, a universal character encoding standard, is responsible for creating new emoji, and approved emoji are added to all devices once a year. With Genmoji, you don’t have to wait for new emoji to appear on your iPhone each year. You can just create them as you need them.

Read on to learn how to use Genmoji on iPhone to create your own custom emoji. Just note that only iPhones with Apple Intelligence, like the iPhone 17 lineup, can use Genmoji at this time.

How to make custom emoji

1. Open Messages and go into a chat.
2. Tap the plus (+) button next to your text box.
3. Tap Genmoji.

You can then type a description of an emoji into the text box near the bottom of your screen and tap the check mark on your keyboard to enter that description into Genmoji. You can also tap different suggestions and themes that are right above the text box. And with iOS 26 or later, you can also combine and use emoji to create others rather than describing a new emoji or using suggestions.

Your iPhone will generate a series of new emoji for you to pick from according to your description, and you can swipe through these new emoji. When you find the one you want, tap Add in the top right corner of your screen and the new emoji will be available to use as an emoji, tapback or a sticker. Now you don’t have to wait for the Unicode Standard to propose, create and bring new emoji to devices.

For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.3.1 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.