The date that can potentially brick iPhones is January 1st, 1970. This issue was discovered last week and quickly gained attention due to its ability to render iOS devices unusable. It was found that if you manually set the system date and time on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to January 1st, 1970, the device would crash and become unresponsive. This bug effectively “bricks” the device, meaning it becomes as useful as a brick.
Setting the date to January 1st, 1970 triggers a software bug that causes the device to encounter a critical error during the booting process. The device attempts to calculate the time since that specific date and gets stuck in a loop, unable to proceed any further. This issue affects devices running iOS 8 or later.
The fact that this bug exists is quite alarming, as it seems like such a simple action can cause such severe damage to an iPhone. However, it’s important to note that this issue is not a common occurrence. It requires a deliberate manual change to the system date and time, which most users would not do accidentally. Additionally, Apple has officially acknowledged the bug and has stated that an upcoming software update will fix it, ensuring that users don’t accidentally encounter this issue.
It’s worth mentioning that I haven’t personally experienced this bug myself, but I have read about it extensively. It’s interesting how a seemingly innocuous action like changing the date can have such a significant impact on a device’s functionality. This bug serves as a reminder of the intricate complexity of the software that powers our devices and the potential for unexpected issues to arise.
IPhones, iPads, and iPod touches can become bricked if the system date and time are set to January 1st, 1970. However, this issue is not a common occurrence and can be avoided by not manually changing the date to that specific one. Apple has acknowledged the bug and is working on a software update to fix it, ensuring a smoother experience for iOS device users.