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iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

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Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disabling auto-lock is definitely a thing, as anyone that's ever tried to use an iPhone in a car for navigation knows. It's very possible the phone has a passcode but was sucked out while someone was using it, and never put to sleep. Also worth noting the owner had a screen protector, so that may have quashed that everlasting debate.

Also, since the charging cable was technically still attached, I wonder if that turns it off as well.

It doesn't. Auto-Lock would have had to be explicitly disabled.

Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#102
post #96

This must be some elaborate joke. How did that iPhone stay unlocked? The screen stayed on the entire time? And if the screen stayed on the entire time, how does the battery last that long? (In winter weather no less)

The person who found it said in a Tiktok video linked in the Twitter replies below that the phone didn't have a lock on it so he opened it up to that mail page.

I'm not gonna quibble about him changing his story, but it's notable.

Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#103
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I believe it's their PR plan. ... What exactly do you think they planned? The photos show a person's name on an email from an airline. Are you suggesting they planted a fake phone on the side of a road, with a fake email from the airline about baggage for said airline open on the screen, and then had a hired stooge "find" the phone, and then either (a) make a false claim to the NTSB or (b) have a second stooge impe…

It's simple, and Apple doesn't plan the accident, they just help the story move when their brand is involved - I mentioned it in another thread, but when that kind of stuff happened (at least in 2008) they got moved into a special queue and instead of T2/Customer Care they would get moved to the CCT2 who would often escalate to executive service peeps. Apple is actually pretty good at this stuff.

Not sure why you're being downvoted, but this is absolutely common corporate PR 101 practice.

They follow social media, reddit, etc all the time, and if there's an organic story that's good for their brand, they forward it to friendly journalists, provide context on background, etc.

If it's bad for their brand, they search all their internal systems using whatever information they can find and/or correlate, escalate it, and deal with it behind the scenes.

Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never trusted/liked protective cases. Modern phones are already too big, and I feel like the added bulk makes it more likely that I will drop it. Having been using the same IPhone 12 Pro Max for a few years now without a case. It has survived quite a few falls from a table by now, no screen cracked, only some dents and scratches on the chassis.

The new glass back phones have made themselves unusable without a back cover that offers some grip. I find it impossible to hold the phone with one hand unless I add a cover.

I use magnetic pop socket instead - works great, and easy to remove if needed. Unlike case, doesn’t add bulk on the sides.

Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#106
post #6

A lot of things went into my head: * The iPhone owner didn't put a password/passcode? * Damn, he paid Alaska $70 for baggage fee? * Now we know an iPhone will survive falling from the sky

Doing a bit of research I found a few sources that say that the terminal velocity for a generic smartphone is ~20-40mph, which isn't that much. Lots of phones survive car crashes with higher speeds than that. Add to that landing on softer soil and maybe even breaking fall with branches and I'm not shocked it survived. No screen crack is pretty good though. Smartphone screens have gotten crazy good recently

There's no way it's 20-40 mph. They're dense enough for much higher velocities.

Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#107
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doing a bit of research I found a few sources that say that the terminal velocity for a generic smartphone is ~20-40mph, which isn't that much. Lots of phones survive car crashes with higher speeds than that. Add to that landing on softer soil and maybe even breaking fall with branches and I'm not shocked it survived. No screen crack is pretty good though. Smartphone screens have gotten crazy good recently

20 MPH? If it's... attached to a parachute?

Light. Big screens. High drag to weight ratio.

Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#109
post #67

it was found... unlocked and displaying Mail application. Sure this level of shock would have registered on its accelerometers, right? How come it did not do the obvious right thing from a security perspective, which is to lock itself?

Same/similar shock as dropping the phone. Should it lock on drop? Weird feature to add.

Re: iPhone that fell from hole in Alaska 737 MAX flight is found, still open to Mail

#110
post #65

A lot of things went into my head: * The iPhone owner didn't put a password/passcode? * Damn, he paid Alaska $70 for baggage fee? * Now we know an iPhone will survive falling from the sky

Given the circumstances Alaska should refund the baggage fee

I expect they will fight that refund tooth and nail.
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