5 Fake iPhone "Tips" That Ruined Devices
MUO
5 Fake iPhone Tips That Ruined Devices
Hoaxes are prevalent on the internet, but one of pranksters' favorite topics is the iPhone. Here are the biggest device-destroying "tips" that the web has produced. There's nothing like a good hoax. The internet has seen its fair share of famous myths thanks to the ease with which misinformation can spread. , like the infamous Iraq camel spider, thankfully isn't actually too difficult due to the wealth of information online. Yet for some reason, people are still regularly fooled by these hoaxes. Perhaps it's due to the human desire to find and believe in wild things, or maybe people are just lazy and . Either way, one popular hoaxing topic that has fooled people for years is Apple's iPhone. Let's take a look back at some of the dumbest iPhone hoaxes that have spread over the years. Most of these surfaced as "tips" or "hacks" that would in reality destroy your phone or render it unusable. 1 iOS 7 s Fake Waterproofing
One of the is being water-resistant. We've explored , which is obviously something built into the physical device. That didn't stop people from believing that updating to iOS 7 would magically make their phones waterproof, though. When a created by 4chan users advised folks that the latest OS update would make their phones waterproof, many believed it. The victims never stopped to think about how a software update could have an effect on the ability of the phone to resist being , and ended up with a destroyed unit instead. Even with a waterproof phone, you shouldn't push your luck. Treat the waterproofing of your $700+ phone as accident protection, not a feature to be pushed to the max with potentially disastrous results! 2 The iPhone 7 s Secret Headphone Jack
Certainly the most controversial feature of the new iPhone 7/7+ has been the removal of the headphone jack. A or use of the included lightning-to-stereo adapter solves this problem, and the But many still aren't pleased. Of course, nothing is stopping people from refusing to buy a phone that doesn't have the features they want. Some iPhone 7 users have instead decided to take matter into their own hands and to find the "secret" 3.5mm jack. Of course, this results only in a destroyed iPhone. Having a look at the comments of the YouTube video above (that started this trend) reveals hundreds of people that tried this and wonder why it doesn't work. We're not sure how people could be this foolish, especially since this isn't the first iPhone hoax. It turns out taking a drill to your device isn't a good idea. Check out a few other if the lack of a headphone jack is a sticking point for you. 3 iOS 8 s Microwave Charging
Microwaves are great for cooking food, but have you ever seen an electronic device put into a microwave? It doesn't end well. That didn't stop the iOS 8 "microwave charging" iPhone hoax, however. Coming once again from the depths of 4chan, another real-looking Apple advertisement surfaced with just a few moments in the microwave. While the waterproof myth at least has , you would hope that the majority of people know that microwaves don't mesh well with phones. Unfortunately that didn't stop people from trying this out for themselves. A quick glance over the comments on the video "proving" that this works shows several commenters lamenting their newly ruined phones. Had they taken the precaution of , perhaps their several-hundred dollar investments wouldn't have gone down the toilet. 4 Retro iOS Easter Egg
Unlike the above hoaxes, this one started as an actual that was exploited by those who wanted to have some fun with it. Any newer 64-bit iDevice (equal to or above the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2) that had its date changed to January 1, 1970 if it was shut off. This was caused by the way that Unix (which iOS is based on) keeps time. It uses a 32-bit number to record the number of seconds that have passed since 00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970. Apparently, Apple (understandably) never planned for a phone to be set to this paradoxical date. after this bug was found, and patched it up. While most people would never have a reason to change their phone's time like this, it didn't stop some pranksters from having some fun. An "Easter Egg" was circulated that claimed changing the date would unlock a retro Macintosh theme. This, of course, was not true, and resulted in a lot of iPhones being turned into doorstops. For another interesting implication of Unix time, check out the . 5 Bending Is a Feature
An unfortunate design flaw, the tendency of the iPhone 6 to bend in tight pockets or under stress was well-known during its time. This garnered , and most people knew to avoid placing their phones in tight positions. If you've been following along, you already know the story here. People capitalized on the bending "feature" of the iPhone 6 and created videos letting people know of the new "functionality." This YouTube video that mocks Apple's style is pretty obviously fake, but scour the comments and you'll see people asking if their warranty covers a bent phone. You'd think people would at least run a quick Google search before doing something that could ruin their expensive phones. Apparently, you'd be wrong! Don t Believe the Lies
It's fun to look back and see all the in years past. Of course, it wasn't funny for the people who fell for this stuff and broke their phones, but that's on them. By observing what has happened before, we can be better prepared for the future and the hoaxes that may arise in years to come. If you don't take anything else away from this article, know that the depths of the internet have no problems trying to fool you into destroying your equipment. Don't do anything with your devices that seems suspect (and Google it first). Interested in uncovering more truth? Check out these . We hope the answer is no, but do you know anyone who fell for one of these hoaxes? If you know of another big iPhone hoax, let's talk about it in the comments!