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Does the iPhone have a security glitch? Video claims Siri lets ANYONE bypass the lock screen...but it appears to be an embarrassing mistake

Video claims to show a way of accessing the iPhone through Siri
User asks for the time and then clicks on the answer to access the clock
He is then able to access iTunes and the home screen without a passcode
But some viewers have spotted he may be using his Touch ID fingerprint

Published: 18:18 GMT, 7 March 2016 | Updated: 18:24 GMT, 7 March 2016

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An apparent glitch that allows anyone to bypass the lock screen on an iPhone has left some users red faced after it emerged they had simply been using their fingerprints to access their devices.

The bug was highlighted in a video that claims users can access any iPhone without needing to input the security passcode first.

However, after the video went viral on social media sites, many Apple users have insisted the claims are false.

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The video claims users can access iPhone's without entering a passcode simply by activating Siri and asking it for the time. However, sharp-eyed viewers spotted the user activates Siri with this thumb that is probably registered on the device's Touch ID feature that uses fingerprints to unlock the phone

The video claimed that by activating Siri from the locked screen to access the clock or the weather, it is then possible to go to the home page without entering the passcode.

It comes at a sensitive time for Apple as it is involved in a high level dispute with the FBI over accessing encrypted data on devices made by the company.

However, it appears the user who posted the video – SocialStar - may have missed an important point – the iPhone's built-in fingerprint sensor.

...BUT YOUR IPHONE MAY BE EMAILING YOU FROM THE PAST

The first email may not have been sent until 1971, but recently some iPhone users have been receiving messages from 1970.

These eerie emails have no subject, no sender or content.

This glitch is affecting those who use email apps on the iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads when users check their emails in a different time zone, reports.

January 1, 1970 represents 0 in UNIX time, which is a system that helps computers understand time and dates.

Since then, every second past midnight has been considered a different point in UNIX time – we are at around 1.45 billion—and emails sent without any time data means the system cannot understand it and defaults to 0 or 1970.

If you’ve been bitten by the email bug just close the email app that has been compromised and conduct a hard reset on your device -- hold lock and home button down at the same time until device resets.

By using his thumb to activate Apple's virtual assistant, the Touch ID feature would have registered his fingerprint and unlocked the phone automatically.

A long string of comments under the video describe how users attempted to repeat the technique shown and say it only works when the fingerprint is used.

Mike Wu said: 'Lol, your thumb was scanned while using Siri.'

Jaques Questiax added: 'I can confirm, did this on gf (girlfriend's) phone, didn't work. Did on my own phone, worked. Definitely scans your finger print while trying to open Siri.'

The video, posted with the title 'iPhone Unlock without passcode glitch', describes how it is possible to unlock the device by holding down the home button to activate Siri.

The user then asks for the time before tapping and holding the screen when the answer appears to access the clock and alarm feature.

He then accesses iTunes to purchase a new alarm tone before clicking the home screen to return to the home page.

A similar approach that claims to work in the same way by asking Siri for the weather appeared on other websites.

However, repeated attempts by MailOnline to use the method were unsuccessful unless using the fingerprint registered with the Touch ID feature.

The Apple news website MacRumors also said it had been unable to replicate the 'glitch' without using a fingerprint.

MacRumors said: 'Savvy users will have noted that the method only works because the user activates Siri by pressing the home button with a finger that has clearly already been registered with the Touch ID feature's fingerprint scanner.'

A number of users on Reddit also criticised the video.

One called Speculatore said: 'Tried this with a non-registered finger and it brought me to the passcode screen.

'When you press this Siri button you're authenticating against the fingerprint reader... anyone else not experiencing this?

Some users said they were able to circumvent the iPhone's passcode by asking Siri for the Weather before accessing the main menu from the weather app. However, many have said this method also does not work

The person who posted the video claimed to be able to access his home screen without entering a passcode (pictured)

'Please don't tell me that nobody considered this.'

The YouTube user who posted the video, which has been watched more than 460,000 times since it went live four days ago, posted an update on YouTube claiming Apple had fixed the bug.

He insisted: 'It seems that Apple have fixed the bug, it did work to start with but unfortunately it's been patched.'

However, Apple last released an update to iOS more than a month ago which updated devices to iOS9.2.1.

The video apparently shows the user accessing iTunes after asking Siri for the time by using the timer function on the clock app. It then takes him to the iTunes store. Other iPhone owners have been unable to replicate this, however, without using their Touch ID fingerprint