A spoof advertisement by 4Chan on an alleged iOS 7 update that will make iPhones waterproof has become viral and damaged a lot of Apple phones.

The Telegraph reports that the fake advert made many Apple phone owners believe it is real because its look is almost identical to real poster advertisements of the Cupertino-based tech firm, complete with images of the iPhone on a white background and accompanied by neat text.

Source: Screen grab from The Telegraph

The poster reads: "Update to iOS 7 and become waterproof."

It explained, "In an emergency, a smart-switch will shut off the phone's power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone's delicate circuitry."

The advert even said that waterproofing is covered by Apple's warranty policy.
Upon learning of this new feature, many Apple phone owners shared the advert on social media, only to subsequently learn the claims are false when their iPhones were waterlogged and damaged.

The Telegraph attributes ownership of the spoof advert to 4Chan, a controversial forum that has a history of hosting faked materials. In 2012, the same site was criticised for posting fake images of posts allegedly written by Sandy Hook Elementary School gunman Adam Lanza before he committed the massacre.

Among the response of angry iPhone owners who believed the fake advert are these two tweets:

"Ok whoever said IOS7 is waterproof GO F*** YOURSELF."

"wtf #iOS7 isn't waterproof!!! now my phones at the bottom of the river."

Previous destruction tests comparing the Apple iPhone 5 with Samsung Galaxy S4 through different torture methods including immersing it in an aquarium filled with water showed the iPhone stopped working after 25 minutes, while Samsung lasted 2 hours, 20 minutes before it conked out.