Iphone 11 pro max Stainless Steel Discoloration

I also have the same issue with my 2 month old 11 pro max. I have reported this earlier and said they will look into this by next week. The coating shouldn’t wear off that early as it is designed to keep the metal from having discoloration. I think the temperature when charging the phone is the culprit. Not sure how it happened as I always keep the phone out of the case and a fan is blowing on it while charging. I hope they resolve this issue.

Hey there javieresquivel,

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. I understand you’re iPhone doesn’t look as expected near the charging port, mic, and speaker. I’ll be happy to help with this.

When looking at the warranty for iPhone, it states, “This Warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries or protective coatings that are designed to diminish over time, unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship..” You can look at the full info under “What is not covered by this warranty” here:

Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty

That being said, you can have your iPhone inspected by an certified technician to get a final answer. To do this, reach out to Apple Support at the following link so they can look further into this with you:

Get Support

Take care.

Even I have a similar issue on my 11 pro max space grey color. There is a discoloration in enclosure near speakers in bottom @ both the sides. Apple should look @ this issue very seriously. Since these are PVD coated such discoloration shouldn’t happen. Something wrong with the coating process of these stainless steel. I hope my handset is replaced with a new one.

These discoloration cannot come under cosmetic damage since the damage is not done by physically. At least the color should not diminish during the warranty periods but it’s only 9 months since the device is out.

I request apple to look on this issue and rectify it at the earliest.

Yeah I agree that I am quite lucky since cosmetic damage isn’t covered by warranty. Having said that however, my advisor in his iPad notes prior to the replacement noted the stain as a ‘burn mark’ and mentioned that this was not the usual wear and tear and it was due to its unusual characteristics that lead to him allowing for a replacement.

To be very honest, I think silver is the best option to go with always simply because this external coating on the iPhone from the days of the iPhone 7 has been troublesome. We all remember the issues with the jet black iPhone 7 despite it being a beautiful device.

I have the same issue and they agreed to replace it for me. I think it really matters on who you deal with at the Apple store and what region you’re in.

Most of the time it is skin acid from the users little fingers.

It is purely cosmetic, you were lucky they replaced it.