Apple working on patch for iOS device bootloop bug

Apple acknowledges that moving the date back to a point prior to May 1970 may cause iPhones and iPads to stop booting. The manufacturer promises to come up with a software update that fixes the problem.

In a brief statement, Apple confirms the issue that manually resetting the date to May 1970 or earlier can cause an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to fail to boot. An upcoming software update for iOS should put an end to the problem. Affected users should contact Apple Support. It is not known when that update should appear. Apple will release iOS 9.3 in March, but it is also possible that the company decides to release an update in the meantime.

The bug came to light last week and seems to only affect devices with a 64-bit soc, i.e. the iPhone 5s and newer and the iPad Air and newer. The cause is unknown and Apple does not say anything about this. The bug has been speculated to be related to a Unix timestamp, which assigns the number 0 to January 1, 1970 midnight GMT and would indicate a “negative time” west of this time zone for users adjusting the date. Users have to go to great lengths to set the relevant date, but scams are already circulating on the internet to get people to do this, including the promise that an easter egg can be found.