The iPhone steel wool fire hoax has gone viral, and people have already pointed out that it’s fake. But most do not explain WHY it’s fake.
In this article and our video, we will explain why the viral video of the iPhone setting steel wool on fire is fake and cannot possibly happen.
Updated @ 2024-04-29 : Refreshed for a new release
Originally posted @ 2020-01-19
iPhone Steel Wool Fire Hoax : What Is It?!
The iPhone steel wool fire hoax is a viral video that was posted by ViralVideoLab, a YouTube channel that seems to do nothing but create fake videos that they hope will go viral and make money through YouTube ads.
To make it go viral, they gave it a startling, clickbait title – Mobile Phone vs Steel Wool | How Your iPhone Will Damage Your Brain. They even pleaded with people to share their video, “before it gets deleted”.
ViralVideoLab also wrote a fictional story about not knowing why an incoming call would cause the steel wool to ignite, and invited people to share their opinions in the comments.
Well, we will show you why we know their video is fake, and why it is not possible for the iPhone or any smartphone to set steel wool on fire.
iPhone Steel Wool Fire Hoax Explained + Debunked!
In this video, we will show you the fake video that ViralVideoLab created, and explain what he did and debunk it.
Recommended : Can Mobile Phone Radiation Set Steel Wool On Fire?!
Such Steady Hands!
When he started recording his video, he used a tripod but for no reason at all, the video started swaying just before the incoming call came in.
It may appear that he started holding the camera with his hands, instead of a tripod. But if you look carefully, the swaying was too steady, and moved in a particular pattern.
Such Strong Steel Wool!
And this is important – despite burning for 11 seconds, the steel wool did not disintegrate.
As The King of Random demonstrated in his clip on steel wool, once it catches fire, steel wool burns up very quickly and disintegrates.
Yet, in the fake video, his steel wool remains intact even after burning for 11 seconds! That’s just not possible.
No Current Flow?
Also, it’s not possible for electromagnetic (EM) radiation to create electrical current flow in steel wool. The 9V battery only ignited the steel wool because it formed a short circuit between its positive and negative terminals!
Outer Side Catches Fire First?
Even if it was possible for EM radiation to generate current in the steel wool, the inner side would catch fire first. Yet in this video, it’s the opposite – the outer side catches fire first.
Smartphones Radiate ALL THE TIME
Smartphones and mobile phones are constantly in contact with nearby cell towers, and therefore “radiate” at all time.
If that EM radiation can set steel wool on fire, it would have done so even without an incoming call.
Recommended : Can Scammers Hack Your Phone If You Call Back?!
iPhone Steel Wool Fire Hoax : How It Was Done!
Some people have said that the fake video creator likely hid a battery under the steel wool, to trigger the fire. But based on the steady swaying motion of his camera, and the fact the steel wool was literally fireproof, we have to chalk it up to simple video editing simply by adding movement, fire and smoke effects.
Recursosgraficos also shared another video editing trick which would allow for a similar effect (which we edited for clarity):
It is a special effect created with a video editor.
You record the first video with the camera attached to a tripod and add a movement effect.
Then remove the phone and set fire to different parts of the steel wool and record the second video.
You can now morph the second video of the steel wool on fire with the first video.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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