Turning back Time on your iPhone can “Brick” the Device- Don’t Fall for the 1970 Trick
Apple is just not “sure” why it’s happening but it’s a fact that if you follow the instructions of a deceptive hoax message your iPhone will be broken and will become unusable for a while.
As per reports, a horrid hoax message is doing the rounds over the entire social media and prominent online forums, which says that if you want to “activate an Easter egg” just turn back time by setting the date to January 1st, 1970 and then reboot the phone which will activate Easter egg for you. That’s not all, the message also claims that by setting back the date the user will “warp back in time with a classic Macintosh theme to relive the magic.”
But, what will actually happen is that this will “brick” your iPhone and it won’t restart at all so, you won’t be able to restore it through the easier method of using iTunes and you will have to take the device to Apple Store.
This bug reportedly affects those iOS devices that run 64-bit iOS such as iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2 and their recent versions.
What’s with the 1970s?
Apple explained the reason behind this problem in an official post, which reads:
“We’re not sure why it happens, but it’s related to the fact that iOS is a Unix-based system, and Unix time starts at 0:0:0 UTC on January 1, 1970. All time is saved as seconds since that date-time and converted as needed for human understanding. (Negative seconds refers to time before that date and time, and works back to 1904, but apparently Apple didn’t include earlier dates because they didn’t think you would ever take your iPhone with you in a time machine.)”
Who is spreading this hoax?
Business Insider suggests that this message is being distributed by the notorious forum 4Chan troll through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc. As is the case with other such hoaxes, innocent, unsuspecting users of Apple devices are falling prey to this trick and getting their phones bricked or broken.
Can we Fix the Problem?
Some of the users who faced the issue reported that if you restore the device in DFU mode then you can fix the issue all by yourself without needing to go to the Apple store. Some suggest that this method didn’t work for them at all and it is quite risky as well because it wipes all your data on the phone.
Others recommend that if you open the phone and disconnect-reconnect the battery then the problem will be fixed instantaneously. But there are probably issues with this method too since you will most likely void your phone’s warranty as well as cause further damage to the device.
Hence, the best bet is to take the device to your nearest Apple store. Also, don’t forget to inform all the users of iOS devices that you know about this hoax message so that their devices don’t get broken. Tell them- —you have been warned!