An internet hoax is doing its rounds on social media, coaxing users of iPhone5s (and other Apple devices) to change their date to 1 January 1970 in order to get a retro Apple design as an Easter egg. It DOESN’T.
The date change not only doesn’t give you anything retro, it will cause your phone to get permanently stuck while rebooting if it’s switched off or is out of battery. Worse still – your handset will be rendered useless and… irreparable.
The bug affects any iOS device with a 64 bit processor, which means the likes of the iPad Air, Mini 2 and any iPhone 5s onwards and Apple is warning users against setting their clock.
The glitch was discovered last week, and Apple confirmed the issue on its website, and said an upcoming software update would provide a solution. So far, the only way to save your device is to take it to an Apple store.
