Okay, this is just crazy, but I think it worked.
I accidentally sent a text to the wrong person. As soon as I saw it going it out, I realized I did NOT want this person to have the information contained in the text. I panicked and turned off my phone as fast as I could. The last thing I saw before the screen shut down was a message telling me my message was not delivered. Whew!
But I knew that as soon as I turned the phone back on the text would get sent automatically when the phone powered up. What to do?
I turned my washing machine into a Faraday cage by lining it with aluminum foil.(It might have worked without the foil, but why take chances?) I draped more foil over the door opening. I put a metal pot in the washer and had the lid handy. I turned the phone on, dropped it into the pot, and waited for it to boot up. I stuck my head and one arm through the foil drape, switched the phone to airplane mode, and pulled up the offending text. It was still trying to send; I could see the 'sending' message below the text message. I held the message down until the options appeared, selected [Delete] and waited for the text to disappear. It did. I left the phone in airplane mode for another 10 minutes, then switched to regular mode. I received a couple of texts, but nothing from the person who ought to have been outraged by the offensive and misdirected text. I tested the deletion of texts in airplane mode. None of the test texts were received by my test subject. I think it actually worked!
Long story short: If you stupidly send a text to the wrong person, and realize it fast enough to turn off your phone or switch to airplane mode, you might get away with it. If I had instantly switched to airplane mode rather than turning off the phone the whole thing would have been a lot easier. I would not have needed the Faraday cage.
This is probably the craziest thing I have ever done. (Well, okay, maybe not.) My first instinct was to smash the phone, but then I would not have known for sure if the text was sent. Plus I would need to buy a new phone. I considered powering up in an elevator or a cave. Too risky; how would I know for sure my phone wouldn't find the network? I suspected that my bank would not allow me to power up in their vault no matter how desperately I begged. I got the idea for the Faraday cage from a Youtube video in which a guy demonstrated that Ed Snowden was wrong about phones not working in the refrigerator, but a phone in a cocktail shaker did not work due to the Faraday effect. Hence my foil-wrapped washing machine. I don't know if anyone will read this, but if you do, know that the Faraday cage really works.
But let's all try not to compose texts that could get us into trouble. My mother was right; if I don't have something nice to say, I really should say nothing at all.
--Bad Texter
I accidentally sent a text to the wrong person. As soon as I saw it going it out, I realized I did NOT want this person to have the information contained in the text. I panicked and turned off my phone as fast as I could. The last thing I saw before the screen shut down was a message telling me my message was not delivered. Whew!
But I knew that as soon as I turned the phone back on the text would get sent automatically when the phone powered up. What to do?
I turned my washing machine into a Faraday cage by lining it with aluminum foil.(It might have worked without the foil, but why take chances?) I draped more foil over the door opening. I put a metal pot in the washer and had the lid handy. I turned the phone on, dropped it into the pot, and waited for it to boot up. I stuck my head and one arm through the foil drape, switched the phone to airplane mode, and pulled up the offending text. It was still trying to send; I could see the 'sending' message below the text message. I held the message down until the options appeared, selected [Delete] and waited for the text to disappear. It did. I left the phone in airplane mode for another 10 minutes, then switched to regular mode. I received a couple of texts, but nothing from the person who ought to have been outraged by the offensive and misdirected text. I tested the deletion of texts in airplane mode. None of the test texts were received by my test subject. I think it actually worked!
Long story short: If you stupidly send a text to the wrong person, and realize it fast enough to turn off your phone or switch to airplane mode, you might get away with it. If I had instantly switched to airplane mode rather than turning off the phone the whole thing would have been a lot easier. I would not have needed the Faraday cage.
This is probably the craziest thing I have ever done. (Well, okay, maybe not.) My first instinct was to smash the phone, but then I would not have known for sure if the text was sent. Plus I would need to buy a new phone. I considered powering up in an elevator or a cave. Too risky; how would I know for sure my phone wouldn't find the network? I suspected that my bank would not allow me to power up in their vault no matter how desperately I begged. I got the idea for the Faraday cage from a Youtube video in which a guy demonstrated that Ed Snowden was wrong about phones not working in the refrigerator, but a phone in a cocktail shaker did not work due to the Faraday effect. Hence my foil-wrapped washing machine. I don't know if anyone will read this, but if you do, know that the Faraday cage really works.
But let's all try not to compose texts that could get us into trouble. My mother was right; if I don't have something nice to say, I really should say nothing at all.
--Bad Texter
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