Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊

Register Log in

Apple iphone 5s 1970 bug



Miximate

Miximate

Well-known member
Aug 30, 2012
1,167
Mid Sussex
I don’t know whether to scream or cry (or both), but for some inexplicable reason, my halfwit teenage son decided to change his phone setting to 1st January 1970 and it is now royally fu*ked !!

I have looked on tinternet and seen that Apple will be pushing out an update to ensure that this can cannot be repeated, but its not clear whether this includes those that have already been infected?

Its fair to say that there is more frost in our house tonight than on my car this morning!! :annoyed:

I'm hoping that we can send the phone back to where it came from pleading ignorance as its still within the first 30 days of purchase

I'm a little hesitant about asking too many questions with official sources in case I have to ID the handset and thereby negate any possibility of a replacement

Does anyone know whether the fix will include those already affected??
 






StonehamPark

StonehamPark

#Brighton-Nil
Oct 30, 2010
9,777
BC, Canada
Miximate said:
I don’t know whether to scream or cry (or both), but for some inexplicable reason, my halfwit teenage son decided to change his phone setting to 1st January 1970 and it is now royally fu*ked !!

I have looked on tinternet and seen that Apple will be pushing out an update to ensure that this can cannot be repeated, but its not clear whether this includes those that have already been infected?

Its fair to say that there is more frost in our house tonight than on my car this morning!! :annoyed:

I'm hoping that we can send the phone back to where it came from pleading ignorance as its still within the first 30 days of purchase

I'm a little hesitant about asking too many questions with official sources in case I have to ID the handset and thereby negate any possibility of a replacement

Does anyone know whether the fix will include those already affected??
Click to expand...

Maybe redundant, but have you gone into: Settings; General; Date & Time; Check 'Set Automatically'?

Failing that, just wipe the phone.
 




StonehamPark

StonehamPark

#Brighton-Nil
Oct 30, 2010
9,777
BC, Canada
Miximate said:
Afraid not, cant get it to boot up or recognise any charge, its more useful as a brick than a phone now
Click to expand...

Have you held the off and home buttons together for 30 secs?
If that doesn't reset it, I'm certain we can get it into safe/restore mode and reset it pretty easily.
 














Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes

The voice of treason
Sep 29, 2007
8,200
Read about this yesterday, the advice was to take it into an Apple store for them to deal with (think it was via a replacement handset) The thing i read said nothing about a time limit after purchase so i would imagine as it's a technical fault with the software, then it would be covered regardless of how long the phone has been owned.

I believe that there is a software update coming out soon to prevent this happening in the future.
 


Green Cross Code Man

Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,717
Eastbourne
StonehamPark said:
Oh wow, hadn't seen that!
Surely those a little more tech savvy can put the phone in recovery mode and manually restore.
Will see how the OP gets on.
Click to expand...
I don't know how to recover Apple devices as I'm from the other side. I would be able to recover an android device though. I am astonished by the bug and the error 53 though, they are up there with the maps fiasco IMO.
 




studio150

studio150

Well-known member
Jul 30, 2011
29,619
On the Border
Miximate said:
I'm hoping that we can send the phone back to where it came from pleading ignorance as its still within the first 30 days of purchase
Click to expand...

I would have thought that if the phone is effectively useless within this short space of time, it is clearly not fit for purpose, and therefore you should be entitled to repair, replacement or refund.
 


Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes

The voice of treason
Sep 29, 2007
8,200
......

Bad Things Happen After Setting Your iOS Device's Date to Jan. 1, 1970

by Jason Cipriani

@MrCippy

February 12, 2016, 2:46 PM EST

E-mail Tweet Facebook Linkedin

Share icons

This is one bug that’s not worth testing.

Some sage advice: No matter what someone tells you, do not—under any circumstances—change the date on your iOS device to Jan. 1, 1970.

It sounds weird, but there’s good reason: it will render your device unusable.

As 9to5Mac reported, Reddit users have discovered setting their Apple devices’ date back 46 years will result in a “bricked” device. According to Reddit users, the bug seems to only impact iOS using Apple’s newer 64-bit processors running iOS 8 and up. Devices equipped with a 64-bit processor include the iPhone 5S or newer, iPad Mini 2 or newer, and iPad Air or newer, along with the iPad Pro.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

A video posted by Apple news site Macworld shows the bizarre bug in action. After setting the date to Jan. 1 1970, senior editor Roman Loyola restarts an iPad Mini 4, and despite the normal Apple logo showing up as the device powers on, that’s as far as it gets. Throughout the three-minute video, the Apple logo flashes periodically on the iPad’s screen, as if the device is trying to finish starting up, but nothing happens. Users are unable to fix the device by connecting it to a computer and trying to restore it through iTunes.

For more read Target, Best Buy, and B&H Slash Prices on Apple Watches by $100

Nearly a full day later, Loyola was still waiting for the iPad Mini’s battery to run out of power to see if the device fixes itself. Some users have reported that the impacted device will restart and resume working after the battery completely drains, but that it operates slowly until the date is corrected. Other comments on Reddit indicate a trip to the Apple Store is the only fix.

Apple declined to comment. Thus far, no other dates have been found to have the same effect on iOS devices.

For more on Apple watch our video.

The 1970s bug (for lack of a better name) is reminiscent of another random problem that impacted iPhone users last year. A text containing a combination of Chinese and Arabic letters could crash another user’s iPhone. Upon receipt of a message, the iPhone would power off and then back on. The message’s contents was not something anyone would normally receive, but once the trick was known, people started abusing it.

How anyone was able to discover that a particular string of text could force and iOS device to restart is just as mind boggling as to why anyone would want to set the date on an iOS device to Jan. 1, 1970.
Click to expand...

News Be careful: Your iPhone will be bricked forever if you set it to this date

Be careful: Your iPhone will be bricked forever if you set it to this date

By Parker Wilhelm, 8 days agoMobile phones
Watch out for anyone trying to meddle with your device's clock

An timing error could render your iPhone kaput

We've seen text messages and websites that can shut down iPhones in a snap, but now the latest bug that could potentially ruin your device is ... going back to the 1970s?

That is to say: reports have emerged that restarting an iPhone after setting the clock back to January 1, 1970 will trigger an unforgiving glitch that makes it deader than disco.

Users have convened on Reddit, finding that all 64-bit iOS 8 and iOS 9 phones and tablets running on Apple's A7, A8, A8X, A9 and A9X processor are prone to the error.

This means that the 1970 error not only bricks the new iPad Pro, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, but also devices as old as the iPad Air, iPad mini 2 and iPhone 5S.
Why the 1970 iPhone bug happens

Even though this iPhone date reset glitch seems to be random, it makes sense in that it messes with your phone or tablet's timing mechanism. It sees that particular date as a negative time value.

The device can still go into Recovery Mode, but the only real fix for this error requires making an appointment with an Apple store, or taking the phone apart.
Click to expand...


Apple owns up to '1 January 1970' iPhone bricking bug
By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes for Hardware 2.0 | February 15, 2016 -- 13:47 GMT (13:47 GMT) | Topic: Apple

Apple says a fix is on the way to prevent users bricking their iPhones and iPads by setting the date to the 1970s.

Apple has acknowledged the existence of the date bug that can brick iOS devices.

Apple's comment is short and sweet:

If you changed the date to May 1970 or earlier and can't restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Manually changing the date to May 1970 or earlier can prevent your iOS device from turning on after a restart.

An upcoming software update will prevent this issue from affecting iOS devices. If you have this issue, contact Apple Support.

The bug is strange but very effective. All you have to do is set the date to 1 January 1970, and the device will no longer reboot.

Over the weekend a fix emerged, but this entailed removing the battery.

The issue affects iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices which have a 64-bit processor and which are running iOS 8 or iOS 9. This means that the following are affected:

iPhone 5s and above
iPad Air and above
iPad mini 2
Sixth generation (2015) iPod touch
http://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-owns-up-to-1-january-1970-iphone-bricking-bug/
Click to expand...
 








Miximate

Miximate

Well-known member
Aug 30, 2012
1,167
Mid Sussex
All sorted !

As phone still under warranty, I can take it straight back to the Brighton store and they will fix it f.o.c

Phew!

I suppose this means that halfwit offspring will be welcomed back into the fold once again!
 


B

Bad Ash

Unregistered User
Jul 18, 2003
1,900
Housewares
Miximate said:
I suppose this means that halfwit offspring will be welcomed back into the fold once again!
Click to expand...

I suggest you withhold the iPhone and give him a late 90's brick phone as punishment. It'd be pretty hard for him to mess that up unless he falls for the microwave or waterproof hoaxes too!
 




You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Albion and Premier League latest from Sky Sports


Top
Link Here