Jan. 1, 1970 is a day that lives in infamy for many iOS users.
Although some iOS users claimed setting the date on an iOS device to Jan. 1, 1970 would provide access to Easter eggs, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) said doing so can "brick" an iPad or iPhone.
"Manually changing the date to May 1970 or earlier can prevent your iOS device from turning on after a restart," Apple said in a prepared statement. The company instructed users who may have done so to contact Apple Support.
iPhones Bricked By Setting Date To Jan 1, 1970 https://t.co/VsrLFj6MfS #apple #iphone
— Steve Mann (@stevemann) February 12, 2016
As a result, Jan. 1, 1970 has become a date that many iOS developers and programmers now fear.
The 1st of January 1970. A date all programmers fear:https://t.co/ei52VCfYqT
— Russell Ivanovic (@rustyshelf) February 11, 2016
Meanwhile, some critics took a humorous approach to the iOS glitch.
Apple says changing your iPhone's date to January 1, 1970 will disable it. Which is why no one could use iPhones in 1970.
— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) February 17, 2016
But even though Apple has identified the problem, there is no guarantee the issue is fully resolved.
@Dialexio what if you walk into an apple store and change all of their iPhones' dates to Jan 1, 1970?
— CoolStar (@coolstarorg) February 11, 2016
Many developers also are wondering, some tongue in cheek, if similar iOS problems may affect developers and programmers in the future.
Crazy news: heating an iPhone to a mere 1970°F will brick the device. Will Apple fix this bug or ignore as usual?
— Gabe Rivera (@gaberivera) February 15, 2016
However, those who follow the right steps can fix the 1970 iOS bug quickly and easily.
Horrific iOS bug bricks your iPhone/iPad https://t.co/iVrZY7pB1i Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically >OFF until fixed.
— Clive Sweeting (@sweetappleuk) February 12, 2016