iPhones, iPads and iPod touches running on operating systems 8.0 and up will become useless once you set its date to January 1, 1970. Apparently, there’s a bug that causes these devices to crash when they are manually changed to the oldest date possible.
It’s the fastest trick to brick an iPhone. This bug actually exists because Unix time is calculated beginning January 1, 1970 at midnight Greenwich Mean Time. Once the device is set in a time zone after GMT, the device automatically subtracts a few hours from 00:00:00. As soon as the device detects you’re in negative time, it will automatically freeze.
Several videos uploaded on YouTube show that the device does not automatically crash after changing the date. But once the device is turned off and back on, the device will just show an Apple logo greeting. It will remain stuck there and is unable to reboot. Plugging the device in the computer won’t get your device up and running again.
According to a report by The Daily Mail UK, fixing the phone requires physical repair as well as disconnecting the battery.
The bug allegedly affects iPhone 5s and newer versions of the iPhone, iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, as well as iPod touches manufactured in 2015 or later.
How to Fix a Bricked iPhone?
YouTube Channel JerryRigEverything has released a video on how to fix the January 1st, 1970 bricked iPhone. Apparently, there’s a way to fix it without the need to go to the nearest Apple store. However, this procedure is only advisable for those comfortable in opening up their phone.
In order to fix the phone, you just need to disconnect its battery. Once the battery is unplugged from the device, the date and time will automatically reset allowing you to fully access the phone.