There is a bug on iOS that bricks a device if the date is set to January 1, 1970. According to a report by 9to5Mac, the bug is affecting any iOS device with a 64-bit processor and runs iOS 8 or higher. This includes the iPhone 5 and above, iPad Air and iPad mini 2 and above, and the 6th gen iPod Touch. In order to change the date all the way back to 1970, users will have to go to ‘Date & Time’ in the device’s settings. There, they will have to turn off the ‘Set Automatically’ option and then scroll as far back as possible. The process of scrolling back will have to be repeated a few times before that date is reached. Then the device will have to be rebooted, after which it will get stuck on the boot up screen with the Apple logo.
Thankfully, the bug doesn’t seem to affect users of older Apple devices with a 32-bit processor. It also seems like the only way users of newer devices will face this bug is if they deliberately expose themselves to it. Most probably Apple will release an update soon which will fix the bug.
Source: 9to5mac