Don’t Set Your iPhone Back to 1970, No Matter What

[satanboy]

AN IPHONE BUG has arisen, as they do from time to time, that will render your device completely unusable. In this case if you set its clock to January 1, 1970, it’s brick city. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, why would I ever set my iPhone clock back to the Nixon administration. To which I say, you have forgotten that this is the Internet, a place full of unspeakable trickery!

The following image, which reportedly first surfaced on troll haven 4Chan on Thursday, encourages users to seek out an iOS “easter egg” that puts a retro Apple logo theme on your display.



Do not do this! Firstly because it makes no sense, Apple didn’t even exist until 1976. More importantly, though, don’t do it because it will turn your iPhone into a very expensive rock until you’re able to finagle a Genius Bar appointment. Restoring through iTunes won’t help. You’ll need an actual physical fix, or possibly a new phone.

The bug appears to only affect 64-bit iOS devices, meaning iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and iPad Mini 2 and newer are affected. It’s almost certainly related to the same Unix glitch that caused Facebook to wish people a happy 46 years on the service; the date 1/1/70 has an internal value of zero on a Unix system, which in this case is leading to a software freakout. The why and who are less important, though, than the what, and the what is: don’t set your phone’s calendar back. Live in the present. It’ll save you a lot of future headaches.

wired

 

[DA-LION-619]

lol

 

[St4rk]

Must resist the urge............

 

[Magnum]

I just tried it. Nothing happened. oh wait it was on an Samsung...

 

[reactor_sa]

You can set it back just don't restart while its set at January 1, 1970

 

[Swa]

Live in the present. It’ll save you a lot of future headaches.

Until crapple has a problem with the future.

 

[Progenix Oj101]

I don't see the funny in this. It's not as bad as the "microwave your iPhone to recharge the battery" but it also isn't as obviously BS. There have been legitimate date changing "hacks" on Apple phones in the past, eg http://thehackernews.com/2014/10/ios-8-date-trick-loophole-allows-play.html so you can't say the user should have known better. What's funny about breaking someone's phone? How is this different to vandalism?

 

[Inn3rs3lf]

Happened to me unfortunately. Honestly thought I was more savvy. Unless you know UNIX and the whole "0" time fiasco, this is extremely subtle.

For people who this has happened to, or has done it. The whole waiting 24 hours to "reset" doesn't work.
The restoring of the phone, doesn't work.
The removing of the battery seems to be the only way for many.

So off to the phone shop tomorrow for me. If I had the tools, I would just do it myself.

The fact that Apple hasn't even bothered to comment is another thing that has put that final nail in their coffin for me as a consumer. Once fixed, this phone is off for sale.

 

[dj_jyno]

If only the people who did this knew that the original Macintosh was released in 1984.

 

[Swa]

The thing is that 1 January 1970 is NOT zero time on Unix. Only 00:00 1 January 1970 is.

 

[Wasabee!]

Happened to me unfortunately. Honestly thought I was more savvy. Unless you know UNIX and the whole "0" time fiasco, this is extremely subtle.

For people who this has happened to, or has done it. The whole waiting 24 hours to "reset" doesn't work.
The restoring of the phone, doesn't work.
The removing of the battery seems to be the only way for many.

So off to the phone shop tomorrow for me. If I had the tools, I would just do it myself.

The fact that Apple hasn't even bothered to comment is another thing that has put that final nail in their coffin for me as a consumer. Once fixed, this phone is off for sale.

Well lesson learnt! Welcome to Android

 

[BlindMelonChitlin]

Off to incredible connection tomorrow to try this on their 6s'

 

[saor]

Off to incredible connection tomorrow to try this on their 6s'

A kindred spirit. If I'm in Cape Union or something I set the Garmin and other devices to some obscure language .

 

[supersunbird]

A kindred spirit. If I'm in Cape Union or something I set the Garmin and other devices to some obscure language .

Much bad, such wow.

My one CCTV system set itself to some Asian language, luckily I had an identical unit or there would have been no way to set it back to English, the manual is severely lacking.

 

[bwana]

Off to incredible connection tomorrow to try this on their 6s'

Wanton destruction of property.

Classy.

 

[BlindMelonChitlin]

Wanton destruction of property.

Classy.

Becoming a mod requires checking in your humour at the door?

 

[BlindMelonChitlin]

A kindred spirit. If I'm in Cape Union or something I set the Garmin and other devices to some obscure language .

How else are those incredible techies going to learn anything useful?

 

[bwana]

Becoming a mod requires checking in your humour at the door?

I don't think so… but hey, try saying something humourous so I can check.

 

[BlindMelonChitlin]

I don't think so… but hey, try saying something humourous so I can check.

I did. All mods should be required to grasp the personal nature of humour. That's my opinion anyway.

Being an apple fanboi is one thing, but don't you think that level of loyalty is a bit extreme?

 

[satanboy]

Much bad, such wow.

My one CCTV system set itself to some Asian language, luckily I had an identical unit or there would have been no way to set it back to English, the manual is severely lacking.

You don't have Asian friends?

Racist!