iPhone Books Presidential Suite by Itself While Charging

A woman from China reported a bizarre incident involving her iPhone, claiming that the device started acting on its own after being connected to a charging cable. According to Ms. Yan, she plugged her iPhone into a charger and left it on the table. Later, she discovered that her phone had independently opened the Ctrip app, a popular online travel agency in China.

To her shock, the iPhone managed to book a presidential suite at a hotel in Shanghai, resulting in a charge of 10,880 yuan (about $1,571.71). The smartphone even launched the WeChat app in an attempt to pay for the reservation. Fortunately, Ms. Yan was able to unplug the charging cable before the transaction was completed. In addition, the phone switched its network from 4G to 2G during the incident.

Ms. Yan tried connecting her iPhone to the charger several more times, but each time the device attempted to purchase a train ticket through WeChat.

Suspicions About the Charger

The owner insisted that her iPhone had never been jailbroken. However, the main suspicion fell on the charging device itself, which was manufactured by a third party and not by Apple.

Experts frequently warn about the dangers of using non-original charging accessories. For example, journalist David Juirtz has expressed concerns about the potential risks faced by users of modern MacBook Pro laptops. He believes that the use of USB Type-C ports could provide another avenue for hackers to attack devices. As a result, all MacBook Pro models produced since late 2016 may be vulnerable.

Juirtz refers to fake chargers that were first discovered back in 2013. Last year, he wrote about how chargers could be used to spy on users. He also highlighted the dangers of fires and even explosions that could occur when charging devices with third-party cables.