The Ultimate Guide to Fooling Friends: Side-Splitting iPhone & iPad Trickery Tips

It doesn’t need to be April Fool’s Day to pull off a good prank. These ideas are designed for people with aniPhone oriPad , especially if they keep their device unlocked so you can mess with the settings.

01

of 06

Use Siri to Set Reminders, Alarms, Events, Etc.

vMix 4K - Software based live production. vMix 4K includes everything in vMix HD plus 4K support, PTZ control, External/Fullscreen output, 4 Virtual Outputs, 1 Replay, 4 vMix Call, and 2 Recorders.
This bundle includes Studio 200 for vMix from Virtualsetworks, HTTP Matrix 1.0 automation scheduler, and 4 introductory training videos from the Udemy vMix Basic to Amazing course.

metamorworks / Getty Images

While setting a reminder or an alarm to go off at a strange time might not sound like the greatest prank to pull on someone, there’s a good reason why it’s first on the list: You can do it to almost any iPhone or iPad.

Siri is the voice recognition personal assistant for iOS and, by default, it’s turned on even when the device is on the lock screen. So, your intended victim can have their iPhone protected by apasscode and you can still pull a prank on them.

Activate Siri by holding down the side button (or Home button if applicable) and give her a command. One funny prank is to create a string of reminders, such as:

• “Remind me at 9 a.m. to check my tire pressure.”
• “Remind me at 9:10 a.m. to really check my tire pressure.”
• “Remind me at 9:15 a.m. that tire pressure is the gateway to safe driving.”

You can also use Siri to set an alarm at a way-too-early time or schedule a fake meeting. Just remember, this prank could be pulled on you too, so you might want to turn Siri off while on the lock screen .

02

of 06

The Screenshot Background

:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-457316526-57deda085f9b58651650818c.jpg)

Credit: Justin Sullivan / Staff Editorial #: 457316526

The screenshot prank involvestaking a screenshot of the home screen andusing it as the wallpaper for the lock screen . This change can cause your unsuspecting victim to think the iPad or iPhone is ready to use, but all the taps in the world won’t open an app until they slide to unlock.

03

of 06

The Screenshot Home Screen

Karl Tapales/Getty Images

This one is similar to the screenshot background.

• Start by taking a screenshot of the first page of apps on the Home screen.
• Next, move every app from the first screen to any other page of apps.
• Then, add the screenshot as the home screen background.
• Last, delete the screen shot from the Photos app to keep your target from figuring out your prank.

The result is a Home screen full of apps that won’t launch because they are actually part of the wallpaper. The victim can still launch docked apps and can still move to a different page to launch an app, but even moving to a different page gives the iPhone or iPad a broken effect when the original apps seem to stay in place.

04

of 06

The Blue Screen of Death

This one is funnier if you’re targeting an IT professional or anyone that knows a bit about computers. The famed “Blue Screen of Death” is the error screen Windows gives when the operating system crashes.

Having the Blue Screen of Death appear on an Apple device may or may not trick someone who knows a thing or two about computers. But, at the very least, it should draw a good laugh.

Select this photo for a blue screen that can be sized so it doesn’t overfill the screen.

05

of 06

Invert the Colors

MEHAU KULYK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images

iOS’s accessibility options can be a goldmine for pranksters. Inverting the colors can make the iPad look all out of whack with no easy way to put it back to normal. Unless your target has really experimented with all the iPad settings, they probably won’t figure it out.

The funny part is that this adjustment inverts all colors, not just those in the user interface, so if they go into the Photos app, all of their pictures will have inverted colors.

Make it funnier by suggesting theyreboot the device because that solves most problems. Of course, rebooting won’t do anything, but the process of doing it will make the issue seem even more serious.

06

of 06

SwifDoo PDF 2-Year Plan

Put the Device in Zoom Mode

Westend61 / Getty Images

The iPhone and iPad’s accessibility options also have a zoom mode, which is great for those with vision problems and those who want to have a laugh at a friend’s expense.

After turning zoom mode on, you can use it tozoom in on the iPhone or iPad and leave it that way for your friend to find.

How to Use Live Wallpaper on Your iPhone

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for letting us know!

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

Subscribe

Tell us why!

Other Not enough details Hard to understand

Submit