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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in

By | November 1, 2010, 4:01pm PDT

Summary: A bug in Apple’s iOS4 meant that Europeans got an unexpected and for most an unwanted extra hour in bed following the end of Daylight Saving Time.

A bug in Apple’s iOS4 meant that Europeans got an unexpected and for most an unwanted extra hour in bed following the end of Daylight Saving Time.

The bug meant that while the clock automatically updated, flipping back an hour, the alarm settings didn’t update.

Poll

Do you rely on your cellphone to wake you up?

This bug’s not new. Folks relying on iPhones to wake them up in New Zealand and Australia last month were woken up an hour early after their clocks went forward an hour. Apple it seems has done nothing in the interim to fix this bug. Apple should be embarassed that its flagship product is afflicted by such a remedial flaw and that it has failed to fix this known issue.

DST ends in the US on the night of November 7th, so if Apple hasn’t released an update by then, those using iPhones as alarm clocks had better have a backup plan in place.

This bug can be avoided by using one-off alarms rather than a regular wake-up alarm. Not convenient, but better than waking up an hour late.

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Topics

Apple iPhone, Bug, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
nomorebs 3rd Jan 2011
@EricVM : Except when the f*** electricity goes off for a second and then comes back. BINGO! You are not waken up at the time you wanted.
View in thread
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It's been proven before
Cylon Centurion 1st Nov 2010
Apple doesn't have the best or the brightest programmers...
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
Bradish@... 1st Nov 2010
@Cylon Centurion 0005 maybe they too sleep in too much. Time to fix the bug and get it out.
wakey wakey apple....
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
A.Sinic 2nd Nov 2010
@Cylon Centurion 0005
Amen. My iPod has the worst handling of timezones and time changes of all my gadgets. Appointments (synced from Outlook/iTunes) constantly appear at the wrong time when I move between UK and Europe. Changing the timezone on the device doesn't seem to shift the appointments.
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Seriously
Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate 1st Nov 2010
This is as clear an indication that the loyal Apple iPhone disciples need a wake up call.

Get a real phone. Droid does DST.
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The iPhone does DST as well
honeymonster 1st Nov 2010
@Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate
The problem is doing standard time. Obviously you need a phone with a real operating system to do that. Like Phone 7 or WM or RIM.
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
JT82 2nd Nov 2010
@honeymonster You do realize that "Phone 7" and WM (Windows Mobile) are the same thing..just different versions....But as Mr. Schmitz said... Droid (and Android) does DST to EST (in my timezone).

I just cant wait for the Apple faithful and those bowing to Lord Jobs to come make excuses...
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The poll needs...
CPPCrispy 1st Nov 2010
a sometimes option.
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Here we go again...trash pt.2 (nt)
Scrat 1st Nov 2010
...
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
james347 1st Nov 2010
Says the MS Tool.
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Yet no one made a big deal about
John Zern 1st Nov 2010
the issue some people had with the Zune on a date change issue, right.

Everybody just picks on poor little Apple, those little tools!
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
nothingness 1st Nov 2010
Damn thing woke me up an hour early this morning! Wished Apple would at least warn people about this.
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
Goldie07 Updated - 1st Nov 2010
People rely on their phones to wake them up? Hilarious ! Losers! Get a watch synched to an atomic clock.
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My thoughts exactly
wackoae 1st Nov 2010
@Goldie07 Using a cellphone/smartphone as a wake-up alarm clock is just plain stupid.

I can see it as a reminder of a day schedule .... but an alarm clock???
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
PlayFair 1st Nov 2010
@Goldie07 @wackoe

Just curious. Why is it stupid?
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Simple answer: Batteries don't last forever
wackoae Updated - 1st Nov 2010
People constantly forget to charge their phones. How many times have you woken up to a dead phone because you forgot to plug it before going to bed?
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
PlayFair Updated - 2nd Nov 2010
@wackoe

Never really been a problem for me, at least in recent memory. I have usually purchased extended life batteries, and by habit, I charge my phone at night by plugging it in.

I'm not offended that you think it's plain stupid. Just, sometimes, I think people don't think posts through before they throw around words like "idiot" and "stupid" when some things actual make perfect sense.

i.e. with my HTC Incredible, I can set it to ring at 6:15 and 7:15 AM so that I can get up and do some exercise and still get a few more zzzz. And I can choose which days it should wake me up at which times. I typically wake up before the alarm by habit, but that's peripheral. It's simple and it works.
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
SaipanMan95 2nd Nov 2010
@wackoe

I have used my cell phone for years as an alarm clock and the primary reason is the ability to set which days and increments that it should go off. When I go on trips, its right there. I think, just as @Playfair has said, the use of "idot, stupid or Losers" is quite counter productive to have a good discussion.
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
nomorebs 3rd Jan 2011
@PlayFair : Ssshhhhhhhh, don't let the genius wackoe think he's wrong. Remember everyone is stupid because the genius wackoe says so.
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A few years behind?
plino 2nd Nov 2010
I'm not saying that iOS4 is less advanced than Windows Mobile. But my ageing Windows Mobile 5.0 based Qtek didn't fail me happy
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In order to fail ... it had to do something.
wackoae 2nd Nov 2010
nt
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
nomorebs Updated - 3rd Jan 2011
@wackoae : thus, your brain cannot fail: it never does anything
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
Pete "athynz" Athens 2nd Nov 2010
While I've never used a smartphone as an alarm clock (hence this issue does not really affect me) this IS something Apple should be taking/ should have taken care of.
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
Alchemist001 2nd Nov 2010
Maybe Apple hasn't corrected this flaw yet cause they're busy working on an iRooster?
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
opcom 2nd Nov 2010
was it ever intended to be a cuckoo clock? still there's no excuse.
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Microsoft had a similar problem
alan_r_cam 2nd Nov 2010
Remember Windows XP Media Player? Any time daylight savings started / ended, the 1 hour jump meant the system no longer "trusted"the clock source.
Seemed minor - but scheduled TV recording start / finish relied on a trusted clock. No trust, no recording.

Result: irate wife, and no more media PC.
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
EricVM 2nd Nov 2010
I use a Realistic clock/radio by Radio Shack. It still works perfect since 1974.
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RE: iPhone bug leads to mass European sleep-in
nomorebs 3rd Jan 2011
@EricVM : Except when the f*** electricity goes off for a second and then comes back. BINGO! You are not waken up at the time you wanted.

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