Viral TikTok showing how to unlock any iPhone is debunked after viewers notice camera trick: 'Nice try'
A TikTok showing how to unlock any iPhone went viral in December, racking up almost 9 million views. But it’s all a joke.
In the video, a person is shown demonstrating how the “hack” works. First, on the lock screen, they swipe up to open up the Control Center and turn off WiFi, Bluetooth and Cellular Data. Easy first step.
Next, the person opens up the calculator app, which is also accessible from the Control Center and doesn’t require any password or fingerprint ID to use. They then flip the phone horizontally to access the scientific calculator and type in what looks like a totally random equation.
For those curious, it’s: 7 + 4 + EE = 280,000.
After clearing the random equation, voila, the TikToker appears to have “unlocked” the iPhone.
Before you try it or embarrass yourself in front of someone else, this is not an actual hack. If you have watched even close to as many true crime documentaries as I have, you know that it’s extremely difficult to access someone else’s phone. Apple has made it nearly impossible for even law enforcement to read your iMessages, so the likelihood that a TikToker circumvented those security steps is pretty low.
Looking back at the TikTok, it may seem confusing as to how this was pulled off. The iPhone in question is has to either be an iPhone X edition or iPhone 11 version, seeing as those are the only iterations that have Face ID and not a home button, which is clearly missing on the phone.
Face ID unlocks your phone via your camera, and in the TikTok, the person “breaking into” the phone is sometimes covering the camera lens or keeping the camera lens away from the person filming. That’s up until the calculator part, when the person filming is right in front of the lens. Magically, the phone unlocks.
“He took his thumb off the camera nice try lol,” someone commented on the video.
“They really think we’re slow,” another added.
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If you liked this story, check out this article where we tested to see if TikTok’s “no hair tie” ponytail hack actually worked.
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