Apple’s verified Support channel on China’s Weibo stunned followers when a polished 30-second promo for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip7 appeared in the feed. Posted around 10 a.m. Beijing time, the clip highlighted the foldable’s hinge, Flex Window multitasking, and pastel finishes before vanishing roughly fifteen minutes later. Screen recordings flooded Chinese and Western social networks, turning the apparent Apple Galaxy Z Flip7 mistake into a viral talking point and fuelling speculation about hiccups in Apple’s regional marketing workflow.
A new statement circulated on Weibo soon after, accompanied by a screenshot of an internal chat, explaining that the incident stemmed from a Weibo-client glitch rather than a scheduling error. According to the post, the client matched the wrong video with Apple’s text entry when the page refreshed, a bug other users have also reported. Backend logs cited in the message show no record of Apple deleting or editing a Flip7 post, and the account is said to be managed solely by Apple staff, not an agency. The clarification ends rumours that Apple and Samsung share the same advertising partner and frames the episode as a technical mix-up rather than an operational slip.
Even as a software error, the moment underscores how fast a brand-damaging image can travel. Apple has not introduced a foldable iPhone, while Samsung is on its seventh-generation flip phone, so the timing struck observers as ironic. The free spotlight amplified Flip7 preorder buzz, especially in China where short videos heavily influence buying decisions. For Apple, the glitch revives chatter about its long-rumoured foldable roadmap, still expected no earlier than 2026.
The incident also highlights the importance of robust client-side safeguards. Social media teams can enforce multi-layer approvals, but a playback bug on a widely used platform bypasses those gates. Brands operating in competitive markets may push for platform-level fixes or add monitoring scripts that flag mismatched media within seconds.
For everyday users nothing changes, yet the saga offers a lesson in digital risk management: even a momentary mismatch can become global news. Developers, marketers, and accessory makers watching Apple for hints of a foldable strategy are reminded that not every viral clip signals a deliberate move. Sometimes the story is simply a software hiccup that captured the internet’s attention at the perfect moment.
via MacRumors
