THE most common technology fails have been revealed – including messaging something to the wrong person and taking an accidental selfie.
Research of 2,000 smartphone owning adults found ringing the wrong person by accident and having to have a chat with them, as well as putting a video FaceTime call to your ear were other top gaffes.
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While 19 per cent have been locked out of an online account after trying and failing to recall their login details.
According to the research commissioned by giffgaff, Boomers were most likely to encounter such fails – with 31 per cent believing they’re no longer ‘tech savvy’.
The spokesperson for the network provider said: “The festive season is all about connecting with friends and family, not worrying about making a mobile blunder.
“We want everyone to see the power of connectivity in whatever they’re doing, even if it’s a mistake that you can hopefully laugh about eventually.”
A tenth of respondents have even forgotten their own phone’s passcode and found themselves locked out.
While 25 per cent have irretrievably deleted a text, email or voicemail – that later turned out to be really important.
These unforced errors make people feel embarrassed (30 per cent), or anxious (seven per cent) – although 13 per cent find them amusing.
Around one in six (16 per cent) have sent a message they ‘shouldn’t have’ to a potential partner, ex or friend, while they were consuming alcohol.
And during the festive season in particular, 22 per cent of those who celebrate admit they’re likely to make a spelling error in a social media caption.
While 13 per cent may send a squinty-eyed DM to the wrong person, according to the OnePoll.com figures.
To stop themselves making such blunders, 56 per cent take time to double-check what they’re writing in a message before sending.
But 15 per cent simply switch their phone off and 11 per cent opt for airplane mode, to stop them sending anything out they may regret.
Mobile fails can happen to anyone, so giffgaff teamed with content creator Abby MacDonald, who went viral on TikTok after her boyfriend accidentally purchased a fake iPhone with incorrect emojis.
She recorded her reaction to the gaffe which has received over 439K views so far.
She said: “At first, we couldn’t believe that my boyfriend had been sold a fake iPhone or that it was even a thing.
“He was definitely in denial, thinking it just needed an update.
“But as we flicked through the phone, we definitely saw the funny side, especially when emojis didn’t quite look right.”
TOP 30 TECH GAFFES:
- Called someone accidentally
- Sent a message to the wrong person
- Ringing the wrong person
- Accidentally closed a needed app during use
- Sent email without intended attachment
- Sent an incomplete or draft message
- Deleted an important message (text, email, voicemail message)
- Forgot to switch to silent mode in a quiet setting
- Accidentally triggered virtual assistant (e.g., Siri)
- Taken an accidental selfie
- Locked out of account after failed login attempts
- Missed an important call due to “Do Not Disturb” mode
- Messaged a group instead of one person
- Sent an embarrassing message without realising (e.g. autocorrect)
- Forgot phone passcode and got locked out
- Answered a video call as if it were an audio call
- Sent a voice message by mistake
- Forgot to mute during a virtual meeting
- Ignored a software update, causing issues
- Left Bluetooth on and connected to the wrong device
- Sent an emoji/sticker in a formal conversation
- Accidentally posted on social media (includes going live, video and picture posts and statuses)
- Used reply-all by mistake
- Accidentally enabled location sharing
- Left mic or camera on during a call by accident
- Forgot to log out on a shared/public device
- Made an accidental online order
- Made unintentional in-app purchase
- Logged into wrong account (personal vs. work)
- Shared a sensitive document/photo by mistake
