Why don't iPhones appear in 'Severance'?

In February 2020, Rian Johnson, the director known for films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Looper, shared an intriguing Hollywood secret that could ruin any mystery movie. In a conversation about his film Knives Out, the filmmaker mentioned an unusual rule regarding the use of iPhones in cinema: “Apple allows iPhones to be used in movies, but if you’re watching a mystery film, the villains cannot have visible iPhones.” Johnson indicated that all filmmakers creating evil characters might feel frustrated with him for revealing this.

Since then, this statement has become somewhat of a rule for observant fans of film and television. Not sure if a character is good or bad? Wait until they pull out their smartphone, and you’ll have your answer. In Knives Out, for instance, Chris Evans's character, who commits a murder, is one of the few who messages the group chat from a non-iPhone device.

This rule seemingly dates back even before the advent of the iPhone. In 2002, it was noted that the heroes of the series 24 used Mac computers, while the villains were restricted to PCs.

This concept brings us to Severance, an Apple TV+ show filled with mysteries, where it is even unclear in what state the plot takes place, complicating the recognition of who is a hero and who is a villain. The appearance of the protagonist, Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott), using an Android phone seemed like a big clue. Could it be that our hero hides a dark side? However, upon observing the different phones in Severance, something even stranger becomes evident: there are no iPhones in Apple’s hit sci-fi show.

The reason behind the absence of Apple products is unclear, but the fact that they don’t appear could be more revealing than any Easter egg that might have existed. The decision to omit iPhones in Severance allows for a glimpse into the series' unique approach to world-building, presenting a narrative that feels different from anything else on television.

It is worth mentioning that not all characters in Severance have smartphones. In the second season, Irving, one of Mark’s colleagues played by John Turturro, uses a payphone, while in the first season, Petey, a coworker of Mark, appears with a flip phone that some fans identified as the Easyfone Prime-A1.

However, within the universe of the series, smartphones do exist. Mark’s annoying brother-in-law, Ricken, uses a device styled like an Android in the first season, and Mark has been similarly seen with one. Additionally, his boss, Seth Milchick, carries a satellite phone with a touchscreen, suggesting that advanced technology exists even in such a peculiar environment.

So what does the absence of iPhones in Severance mean? An intriguing theory is that the creators decided to eliminate Apple devices from their universe to avoid giving hints to the audience about the plot. Given that Apple is aware of the association between iPhones and villainy, it could be a conscious strategy to keep story secrets hidden.

Another more plausible theory suggests that the lack of iPhones reinforces the idea that the world of Severance, although familiar, has a disturbing air that sets it apart from ours. Every detail, including the retro-futuristic computers used by Mark and his colleagues, is designed to remind the audience that the story unfolds in a distorted mirror of reality.

Severance is not the only Apple TV+ sci-fi series facing such dilemmas. For All Mankind, which explores an alternate history where the USSR landed on the Moon first, also addresses similar issues in its narrative, including technological development. Although the iPhone does not appear, other equally intriguing devices are present in its world.

While the complete absence of iPhones in Severance raises many questions, it is advisable not to overinterpret this detail for now. Nonetheless, it has been pointed out that the association between iPhones and evil is more of a suggestion; in the film John Wick, for example, a character who commits a violent act has an iPhone. In fact, Rian Johnson also referenced this rule in his sequel Knives Out, where he reveals that the villain has no phone at all. In Parasite, director Bong Joon Ho ignores Apple’s norm, giving iPhones to the wealthy characters and Androids to the poor, which leads the audience to deduce who is the hero and who is the villain. The conclusion in Parasite could be that the true villain is capitalism, something that could also resonate in Severance.