Simple date bug bricks iPhones and iPads
![adrian-kingsley-hughes](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/6f9ac99abaa541291e393a8b765bdffb2fa11559/2022/08/05/11c625de-cb18-4e3f-8614-5010553831f2/adrian-kingsley-hughes.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
It seems that it's not just the dreaded Error 53 that can brick your precious iPhone. A new date bug has been uncovered that can also brick iOS devices.
UPDATE: Here's a fix (but it involves removing the battery).
All you have to do is set the date to 1 January 1970, and the device will no longer reboot.
Here's a video showing it in action (so you don't have to!).
ZDNet strongly suggests that you do not attempt this with your iOS device. Short of getting a replacement handset, there is no known fix for this.
There is also concern that devices accessing a public Wi-Fi could be maliciously bricked by a hacker setting up a rogue time server to broadcast the date as 1 January 1970.
The issue affects iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices which have a 64-bit processor and which are running iOS 8 or iOS 9. This means that the following are affected:
- iPhone 5s and above
- iPad Air and above
- iPad mini 2
- Sixth generation (2015) iPod touch
See also: