If you buy an iPhone 16 Pro or 16 Pro Max, you are restricted to four colors that all have the word “titanium” in them: Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. They’re not bad options, but they’re not great either. I like the colors for the base iPhone 16 models better.
Then again, Apple had to figure out a way to make the titanium framework with the rear glass. Apple went for these paint options as they are supposed to be closer to the color of titanium.
You can change the iPhone 16 Pro color by using cases and skins, but what if you wanted a transparent back? It turns out there is a way to pull it off, and the results are remarkable. A YouTuber put out a video showing the entire process, which involves using gallium to help break down the recycled aluminum on the back of the rear glass.
I’ll tell you from the get-go that you probably shouldn’t try to replicate the process if you don’t know what you’re doing. The steps involved in making a transparent iPhone are pretty easy to follow. All you need are the right tools to remove that back glass and the components attached to it; some chemicals to peel away the aluminum; and some time, as this is a multi-day process.
YouTuber Phone Repair Guru put out a great video that covers everything from start to finish. What makes this customization job easy is Apple’s new way of assembling iPhones. You can remove either the front or the back of an iPhone 16 for repairs. The YouTuber used heat to unglue the rear panel. The rest of the iPhone 16 Pro, basically the entire iPhone, was not touched or messed with.
He then proceeded to remove the flash, rear microphone, and MagSafe charging coil from the rear panel. You need these components in the transparent iPhone you’re creating.
After that, he peeled the graphite paper as best he could before placing the rear panel in acetone for three days.
That’s where the gallium comes in. Phone Repair Guru heated the metal in a cup of hot water before pouring it over the recycled aluminum. The ensuing chemical reaction softened the metal, making it easy to remove.
On that note, if you’re doing this at home, you should be aware that you might produce some hydrogen as a byproduct of the chemical reaction, which is flammable. It’s not a lot of hydrogen, but it’s something to consider. Again, I wouldn’t advise you to create your own transparent iPhone.
The gallium also helped the YouTuber remove the camera covers, as the aluminum was keeping them in place.
The final step involves cleaning up the glass, as you also have to scratch away the paint.
Finally, there’s the reassembly process, which involves using super glue to reattach those camera covers. You also have to reattach the flash, rear microphone, and MagSafe coil to the rear glass.
The result is beautiful. You get a transparent iPhone 16 Pro with a perfectly transparent back that highlights all the internal components better than a film cover would. The iPhone 16 Pro is the only model of the four to feature a metal battery case.
All the components that were removed work as intended after the reassembly, but I will mention the obvious downsides.
First, the graphite paper that was removed from the back might play a role in cooling the handset. Second, the transparent iPhone 16 Pro might not be as water-resistant as the original model. I’m thinking of those camera caps that were super-glued in place. Third, Apple will probably not service such a device in the future, considering all the work done on it.
That said, you can watch the creation process of this transparent iPhone 16 Pro in full below.
