Warning: Don't set your iPhone back to 1970
iPhone users, beware -- there's another dangerous digital prank making the rounds on Facebook.
You may see a post that looks something like an ad from Apple itself, telling you there's an "easter egg" or hidden feature that allows you to "relive the magic" of the past by setting your phone back in time to January 1, 1970.
However, if you change the date to the start of 1970 for any iPhone that is a 5s and up, your phone will be "bricked," or unable to be rebooted. Other iOS devices that are affected are iPad Air or above, iPad mini 2, and the sixth generation iPod touch, ZDNet reports.
Here's the message to watch out for:
Apple posted a statement on its website today warning consumers, "Manually changing the date to May 1970 or earlier can prevent your iOS device from turning on after a restart." The company says it is working on a fix. "An upcoming software update will prevent this issue from affecting iOS devices," Apple announced. "If you have this issue, contact Apple Support."
While waiting for a fix from Apple, one iPhone user took matters into his own hands. "JerryRigEverything" posted a solution on YouTube which has been shared by ZDNet, BGR and other tech blogs, which involves uninstalling and then reinstalling the phone's battery. While this might sound like an easy fix, it means that you have to manually take your advice apart, which is not without its own risks.
How are people being roped into the bug in the first place? A sneaky Web troll on 4Chan circulated an image Thursday with the false promise that by setting the date back, you could unlock a "retro" Apple logo theme on your device's display screen, which is now getting shared on social media. Don't be a victim.