My iPhone 16 Pro Max's screen is getting scratched easily

Goomfrugba wrote:

No one said that previous iPhones couldn’t be scratched. We know how glass works. We’re saying that it is EASIER THIS YEAR TO SCRATCH THE GLASS THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS. Some of us haven’t had to EVER use screen protectors and have never seen a scratch. Should your phone scratch when all you do is put it in your soft pants pocket and never drop it? Does that seem right to you?

My apologies for not addressing your question about placing your phone in soft pants pocket. Many are under the impression this is a great place to safely place their phone. Personally, I would NEVER put my phone in my pants pocket, especially a phone without a screen protector. Why? Pants pockets carry micro-abrasive particles. Pants which are washed, during the drying cycle, little bits of left over soap, essentially are baked into crystalline micro-bits. As you move about, these microscopic crystal bits, are swiped across the screen of your iPhone, causing micro scratches, which is really what most people are reporting here. Whether it's right or not, putting your phone in your pants pocket is not as safe as think, if scratches concern you.

For this reason, I keep my iPhone in a Belt Clip case from Encased. My iPhone screen is always face down in the case, which protects it fully. It looks like this:

Mine too. It's quite deep as well. None of my other iPhones did that. Apple removed my post because I wondered if we would be compensated. Do you think Apple Care will cover this?

Unfortunately in this case it happened to you before you could get the screen protectors. Even though you stated you have never complained about this issue or had it happen to you before my (and others) statements remain true…that every single release these exact same complaints pop up on this forum and are exactly the same every time…just plug in the iPhone model released for that year. A quick search will show you that so if you took it as a personal attack on you it was not. You have been lucky in the past if you were using every iPhone you owned without a screen protector and never got a single scratch (light microscopic surface scratches included). Hopefully once you receive the screen protectors they will help visually camouflage the scratches you have. Even if they don’t they will help at least prevent future ones.

I have around 30 deep scratches going around 3/4 of an inch all identical and covering the edges of the phone. Never dropped or put in a pocket with other items. Idk if the adhesive caused some sort of tension but the scratches circle the screen with 2 big ones. This needs to fixed and replaced right?

I've had plenty of iPhones over the years and have only been more and more careful with each phone since they have become more expensive over time. Never has scratches on the screen been an issue until my last two. After like a month of ownership my 15 Pro Max already had a large deep scratch in the center and now here I am not even a full 2 weeks into having my 16 Pro and there is already a tiny scratch on this screen as well and I have been BABYING this thing since I picked it up.

Also, although unrelated to the scratch issue, my 16 Pro semi-bricked itself on a normal iOS 18 update 3 days into owning the phone and I had to take it to Apple so they could erase/restore it. I like the phone but it's clear Apple quality has been declining lately which is unacceptable when talking about a $1000+ flagship phone.

I have had mine for a week - it’s disappointing to spend this much for it to look older than my 15 Pro Max. I am tempted to return it and pay the restocking fee, the 50x stronger is clearly a lie or many of us got defective phones.

Sounds like there is an ongoing issue here. I’ve owned every iPhone. My 16 Pro Max had scratches along the edges of the glass after two days of ownership. I just returned my 15 Pro Max with not a single scratch.

I have not dropped the phone. It is kept face up on countertops and I use a pocket with nothing in it.

The Apple site claims, “It also has our latest-generation Ceramic Shield material that’s two times tougher than any smartphone glass. Talk about durable.”

I think not. This is the most UNDURABLE glass I’ve ever seen in recent memory.

I should not apply anything (screen protector and etc) to my iPhone when I pay $1000 for the product! So now you are blaming consumer for not adding extra stuff ($3 - whatever). If I pay this much for a phone I at least expect that my hard earned money is worth. The other thing you can do is contact the media if Apple gives you run around. I always love Apple but if Apple goes berserk on me or run around, I will end 20 years Apple fan. Dell is offering pretty good deals to me. Yes I hate Windoz but why you use a product like MSFT and the same run around

If it is a trend then, there must be uderlaying cause. It's not that I compalin every model I got, this is the first time i seeing it since my iPhone 1. I think lots of people here are not lying either and just trying to complain. I got here because i searched and found this thread. As an enginner, I think there must be a batch in every screen production that goes bad. It doesn't matter how good Apple quality control is, no manufacting of a product is 100% yeild. Its not Apple fault either, and I don't think it is users fault either. Just the reality of manufacturing. So instead of saying people to buy a screen protector or whatever is uncalled for.

Apple Z wrote:

If it is a trend then, there must be uderlaying cause. It's not that I compalin every model I got, this is the first time i seeing it since my iPhone 1. I think lots of people here are not lying either and just trying to complain. I got here because i searched and found this thread. As an enginner, I think there must be a batch in every screen production that goes bad. It doesn't matter how good Apple quality control is, no manufacting of a product is 100% yeild. Its not Apple fault either, and I don't think it is users fault either. Just the reality of manufacturing. So instead of saying people to buy a screen protector or whatever is uncalled for.

There's no trend and if you care to search, you'll find with EVERY new iPhone release, there's is a long thread of my iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 screen scratches more easily than any phone I've had. The fact is you can make an iPhone screen harder to scratch or you can make an iPhone screen harder to break. What you can't do is make them equally hard to scratch AND break. There are many many articles on this topic you can google if you want.

The bottom line is iPhone 16 Glass is no more prone to scratching and the last few few generations of phones. Before Apple introduced what they call Ceramic Shield glass, screens broke so often when dropped. But with Ceramic Shield, we see far fewer people complain about broken glass. The glass is more flexible, but that makes it easier to scratch. And there is no bad batch out there either. They can and will scratch if unprotected. This is why Apple installs screen protectors in their stores all around the world every day, all day. And this is why iPhone Screen Protectors are a multi-$Million dollar business.

sm.19 wrote:

I went to the Apple Store and they replaced the phone.

You better slap a screen protector on your new phone. Apple was just being courteous to replace the phone. The new screen will scratch just as your first phone did. The ONLY way to prevent scratches is to use a screen protector.

Replaced your screen or gave you an entire new phone? Did you have apple care or have to pay? I chatted with Apple and they said it wouldn’t be covered under the one year warranty because the scratches were considered “accidental” and unless I wanted to pay to have it replaced there was nothing they could do.

Did they mention how much it would cost to replace? My phone has scratches right in the middle of the screen and very noticeable. Happened within three days of owning the phone.

Yesterday, I went to the Apple Store to show the scratches and asked they have heard other complaints. I was basically gaslit and told that it happens when I'm wearing jeans and sliding the phone in and out of my pocket. Was not helpful.

I'm very fond of Spigen Screen Protectors and is what I put on my iPhone 16 Pro Max and 16 Pro screens before they were even powered on out of the box. They're about $18 for two protectors and they have an installation method which is almost impossible to mess up. You can order them on Amazon.

You can also visit your closest Apple Store, where they install screen protectors for you from Belkin, which are also very good. BestBuy stores have loads of screen protector options on their shelves, which you pick up immediately. Zagg is one the best brands BestBuy sells.

I don’t have apple care. Never have I ever needed it and I’ve owned iPhones since 2009. This is literally the first iPhone I have ever had that got scratched so easily without dropping. I did make an appointment for the Genius Bar but I am not hopeful they will do anything. When I chatted they told me it wouldn’t be covered under the limited warranty. Any tips on how to word it so they may replace it for me?