How can I restore the smooth surface of my iPhone?

The iPhone has a touchscreen with a slippery surface which is important as the user can slide his/her fingers easily.

The touchscreen's surface of my one year old iPhone has become rough.

• How can I restore the smooth surface of my iPhone?
• Can you recommend lubricants that restore the slippery surface of the touchscreen?

Any surface preparation you apply will not stay on there long, and may well be just as annoying as it rubs off on your clothing etc. Most of the lubricants I have seen used (often for ski/snowboard prep etc) are nasty horrible things that are designed to impregnate the surface to allow for low friction. There is no way you can ever impregnate the glass, so this techniques are doomed to failure. Also, I would be careful with what you apply too, as you may damage the oleophobic coating that is on the glass as standard.

I would recommend simply washing the glass with a very mild detergent, and then wiping clean with a lint free cloth. If your glass remains rough to the touch after this, then it is likely a permanent feature caused by excessive wear, and cannot be rectified.

If you have oily skin or acne or any kind of oil, just the teeniest bit of oil and rub it on your skin. I have an oily forehead, so I just wipe my thumb across and rub that there. Sounds kind of odd but it works for me.