Yes, you read that right. People on the popular discussion board are bricking their iPhones, after user ‘Vista980622′ discovered the flaw. Before you read on, we urge you to not try to replicate this bug. Users experiencing this bug are reportedly setting their iOS devices’ time manually to January 1st, 1970. This date is important because it is the date that Unix, the system that tracks time for all our electronic devices started counting seconds. Understandably because our devices are wanting to count in seconds, this could be leading to people’s devices to brick on the reboot screen showing a constant Apple logo.

One user reported success in recovering their device claiming to have got the device to reboot and then being able to change the date back to a day where they could use their device. They have since re-bricked their device again to replicate the fix. Yes, seriously, people aren’t just bricking their device, they are doing it again! As to why Reddit users are wanting to go through with this settings change is unclear, but they are doing it and many users are now left booking Genius Bar appointments at their local Apple Store, with some users claiming success in getting replacement devices from Apple.

This only leads us to wonder what Apple would do if someone with a damaged iPhone used this method to brick their device. Would they replace it? Apple is yet to comment on the issue, but expect a statement in the coming days. If you want to read the discussion, do so here.