Ever since the first iPhone was revealed by Steve Jobs in 2007, Apple has managed some neat interface tricks. Things like sliding switches instead of checkboxes and radio buttons, and the way scrolling springs when we reach the end of a webpage or list. But another trick has been revealed.
If you go the Alarm clock app on your iPhone, you can scroll through the available hours. The illusion Apple has created is that the numbers are on a cylinder that rolls around infinitely. But that’s not the case.
Apple’s developers simply created a really long repeating list of the number one through to 24. If you scroll far enough, you’ll eventually reach the end. The interface quirk was documented by an observer on X.
So, there you have it. What looks like an infinite scrolling wheel of numbers is a really long list that few people have had the patience to scroll all the way through.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.