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 Feb. 12, 2016, 8:52 PM GMT / Updated Feb. 12, 2016, 8:52 PM GMT By James Eng 
 
 Want to go back in time to January 1, 1970? Just make sure you don’t do it on your iPhone. 
 
 Changing the Date & Time settings to that fateful date will disable your device, Apple users report. And good luck trying to get it to restart: Connecting the disabled phone to your computer and trying to reboot it via iTunes won’t work. 
 
 One chagrined user posted about his device's demise on an online Apple help forum: 
 
 "Hello, I was playing around with my Date & Time settings and I changed the time to January 1st 1970. I shutdown my phone and restarted it, the result is a bricked iPhone. I've tried restoring, updating, but nothing seems to be working." 
 
 Tech website 9to5mac posted a video demonstrating the date bug, which appears to only affect Apple devices with 64-bit processors — meaning iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2 and the sixth-generation iPod Touch, or newer models of those devices. Trying to restart the device seems to only bring back the Apple logo screen, where it apparently gets permanently stuck. 
 
 Apple hasn’t responded to a query from NBC News about the apparent bug. 
 
 Related: Apple Says 1 Billion of Its Devices Are in Active Use Around the World 
 
 What's so special about 1 January 1970? Techie commenters on Reddit and elsewhere note that’s the start of Unix time, a way for developers to track time as a running total of seconds. Manually setting your Apple gadget to that date apparently causes a conflict that will chock the device. ||||| A newly discovered bug renders iPhones useless if the system date is set to January 1, 1970. 
 
 Why would anyone purposely set their phone to a date 45 years in the past? Well, one possibility is that they've been fooled by a troll. 
 
 The above image was posted to notorious anonymous forum 4Chan on Thursday, and has been spotted on Facebook and Reddit. 
 
 Anyone changing their iPhone's date hoping for a delightful rainbow-colored Apple logo easter egg will soon discover their phone refuses to boot up. It can't be fixed except by an Apple Store, which will most likely simply offer a replacement. 
 
 The bug is related to a very old, well-documented issue with the Unix class of operating systems on which Apple's iOS is loosely based – it's similar to a Facebook glitch that prompted its users to celebrate "46 years of friendship" in December. 
 
 EXCLUSIVE FREE REPORT: 
 
 25 Big Tech Predictions by BI Intelligence. Get the Report Now » 25 Big Tech Predictions by BI Intelligence. ||||| [Update: Although details around the problem with iOS 9.3 links causing hangs and crashes remain sparse, it appears to be related to the third-party apps a user installed on the system. We have been able to take an unaffected iPhone 6 and iPad Pro, install the Booking.com app, and then observe Safari consistently hanging when long pressing a link. We do not recommend repeating this however to see the bug for yourself, as the problem appears to stay around. Our test devices continue to exhibit the crashing bug after uninstalling the app and rebooting. We are not sure what exactly causes the issue and thus do not know what class of apps cause the problem to arise. It is likely not limited to just one app, but we are yet to find others. Apple is yet to comment officially on the issue.] 
 
 Readers are reporting a strange bug with iOS 9.3 (and older versions apparently, exact characteristics of affected devices is unclear), primarily affecting the latest Apple devices, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The issue has also been reported on older phones and some iPad models as well. The cause is unknown, but many users are finding themselves unable to open links in Safari, Messages, Mail, Notes and other apps. Instead of visiting the target website, the app crashes, freezes or hangs. Hundreds of reports have already been posted about the iOS 9.3 problem on the Apple Support forums. 
 
 Other users are reporting that tapping on links simply does nothing, whereas a tap-and-hold causes a crash. A permanent fix for the issue is not known and Apple has yet to comment on what may be going on. Some people have reported that disabling JavaScript partially solves the issue for opening links in Safari, but remains for other apps. 
 
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 We have received several tips about this, in an addition to many frustrated users messaging AppleSupport on Twitter, so it appears to be a significant widespread issue. Although the cause of the issue is unclear, most reports appear to come from people with iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus devices … potentially linking back the problem to bugs with 3D Touch. We also have sporadic cases of similar issues being observed on iOS 9.2.1, suggesting it isn’t solely limited to Apple’s latest operating system release. 
 
 However, it is not purely limited to those devices so another root cause (or multiple causes) is also likely responsible. It is somewhat strange how the bug appears to be affecting people differently, across so many different apps and devices. Watch a video of the issue in action below for one example … following a link press, the Safari app refuses to respond to further touch input. 
 
 Here’s another video more clearly showing the ‘links don’t load’ scenario. We’ll update if Apple comments or a solution comes to light. iOS 9.3 was released last week and the launch was generally smooth. However, in the following days, news surfaced that older devices (like the iPad 2) were failing to activate successfully after upgrading, causing Apple to re-issue iOS 9.3 for some iOS devices. 
 
 @AppleSupport Following iOS 9.3 update links in safari no longer open, then safari crashes – any ideas how to fix? — Rob Crashley (@RobCrashley) March 27, 2016 
 
 @AppleSupport On my IPhone 6 after upgrading to iOS 9.3 I cannot open any link in Safari, Chrome and Mail. It works on my 6S. Please help 😟 — Christophe Remy (@sawacs) March 27, 2016 
 
 @AppleSupport When I click any link in Safari or Mail, the app freezes. iPhone 6S, iOS9.3. Happens after updating. Hundreds with same issue. — Zeno Popovici (@ZenoPopovici) March 27, 2016 
 
 Let us know if you are experiencing this problem in the comments, and on what devices. We’d love to hear about any potential workarounds or fixes too.
– Setting your iPhone's date and time to Jan. 1, 1970, will instantly make you experience what life in the '70s was like—because you'll no longer have a cellphone. "I changed the time to January 1st 1970," NBC News quotes one poor iPhone user's complaint to Apple. "I shutdown my phone and restarted it, the result is a bricked iPhone. I've tried restoring, updating, but nothing seems to be working." Wired reports it's a bug that appears to be affecting 64-bit iOS devices, such as the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and other newer models. Moving an iPhone's date setting back by 46 years isn't something most people would do without some prompting. So, of course, there's been some prompting. An official-looking promotional image popped up on the 4Chan forum on Thursday before spreading to Facebook and Reddit, Business Insider reports. The image instructs people with iPhones to change the date to Jan. 1, 1970 for a fun "easter egg": a rainbow-colored retro Apple logo when the phone is rebooted. Instead, the phone refuses to start back up and requires either a physical fix or complete replacement. So what's causing this odd bug? "It’s almost certainly related to the same Unix glitch that caused Facebook to wish people a happy 46 years on the service," Wired states.