IPhones would work badly after exposure to helium

If you are one of those who actually read the iPhone user guide, you will know that there are some things you should keep your device at bay. This apparently includes helium.

"Exposing the iPhone to environments containing high concentrations of industrial chemicals, including near-evaporation liquefied gases such as helium, can damage or alter the functionality of the iPhone," says the user guide.

For many people, including harritaco, the user of Reddit, this may surprise. The Redditor announced earlier this month that after installing and testing an MRI machine at their workplace, about 40 iPhones and Apple Watches have stopped working. (Liquid helium is used to cool magnets in MRI devices.) Only iOS devices have been affected. Android users have not encountered any long-term problems, Harritaco said.

"It does not surprise me that a huge powerful superconducting magnet can do it," writes the Redditor. "What surprises me is that it only affects Apple products."

Another Reddit user, captaincool, wrote that helium was at the root of the problem because of its impact on the microelectromechanical system, or MEMS, on the oscillators. These are the tiny devices that control the phone's clock. For the device to work properly, the mechanical resonator was kept in a hermetically sealed chamber, explained Redditor, but the seals can still be gas permeable such as helium.

In a follow-up on Tuesday at their original post, Harritaco said that they could confirm that the iPhone's malfunction was indeed due to helium. They performed tests, which consisted of placing an iPhone in a sealed bag containing helium. The phone is locked after about 8 minutes. This, as well as the iPhone's user guide and the MRI supplier's information, confirmed the theory that helium would be the culprit, they said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.