45 Hilarious Tech Fails That Prove Your Gadgets Secretly Hate You
We rely on technology for nearly everything—setting alarms, ordering food, even unlocking our front doors. But sometimes, it feels like our gadgets are plotting revenge. Phones freeze mid-text. Printers jam just as you’re about to submit a job application. And don’t even get us started on autocorrect changing “I’ll be there soon” to “I’ll be the raccoon.”
As our lives become increasingly automated, we also become more vulnerable to these strange—and strangely frequent—moments of digital betrayal. It’s as if the smarter our devices become, the more creative they get in messing with us. We build trust in them. We give them control. And then they crash when we need them most.
At Grumpy Sharks, we’ve compiled 45 painfully funny tech fails that prove our smart devices aren’t always on our side. These moments are hilarious, relatable, and slightly terrifying if you’ve ever trusted a GPS too much—or a smart lock not to trap you on the wrong side of your own front door.
So if you’ve ever yelled at a toaster, cried in front of your webcam, or rage-quit a smart assistant that refused to listen, this one’s for you.
#1. Coworker thought my mug warmer was a charger
Oops Coworker thought my mug warmer was a charger. Not a charger.🔌
Source: jmadden80
#2. Never broke a phone before I’m my life, first day I get my new one with no insurance I drop it 4 feet and this happens
Source: AellyA
#3. This person dropped their phone in a bike chain while riding
Source: basshead541
#4. Cell phone exploded
We were playing hide and go seek with our 3 children (ages 8, 10, 12). It was 11pm, we let them stay up late, something we don’t do often. We were playing kids against parent and we had the BEST hiding spot. We we’re going on like 15 minutes of them searching! Then we hear screaming… “fire! There’s a fire”. I’m thinking “they’re just trying to get us to come out”…. We sat down there while they screamed for a good minute.
Then I got pissed because I’m like “they should know better than to pretend there’s a fire”. So I storm upstairs, ready to lecture these kids about how they should never pretend that there’s a fire when there’s not. As I go up the stairs I see smoke. Lots of smoke…… We had plugged in an old cellphone because my daughter wanted to play with it and the thing exploded. What a night… kids are traumatized and I feel guilty.
Source: NoDig1830
#5. charger broke while my phone is at 2% right before going on a 7 hour bus trip
Source: Enderspider546
You finally sit down to binge your favorite show—blanket ready, snacks in hand—only for your Wi-Fi to disappear like it sensed your joy. Or your smart fridge tells you to order milk when it’s staring directly at three unopened cartons. And printers? They’ve formed an entire subculture of betrayal.
These aren’t isolated moments—they’re a rite of passage. And when people post their pain online, others immediately respond with “same.” That mutual exasperation becomes strangely therapeutic. We’re not laughing at each other—we’re laughing with each other. Because nothing bonds people faster than shared tech trauma. Especially when the progress bar refuses to move past 99%.
#6. So after saving about 5 months, I bought my first second handed gaming laptop so I can study and work on my editing hobby. Yesterday my top shelf fell and snapped it in half.
Source: marokotov
#7. Phone slipped out of my pocket while mowing and I didn’t notice until the music in my AirPods stopped
Source: Reddit User
#8. The way this USB charger broke off in the wall.
Source: the85rush
#9. In three days, my phone’s mic stopped working, my headphones broke and my laptop died
Source: ThosePixels
#10. A packet of mayonnaise burst in my purse and filled my phone’s charge port
Source: kattattak_76
I once asked Siri to call my sister. Pretty standard. Except instead of dialing, my phone suddenly blasted Nickelback at full volume—in a silent café. I don’t even own Nickelback. She wasn’t even in my recent contacts. I was frozen, frantically mashing buttons like I was trying to defuse a bomb, while strangers stared at me like I had just chosen violence.
To this day, I have no idea how that happened. But now I whisper my commands and always double-check my Bluetooth. Because nothing teaches fear quite like tech making you the main character of an unintended public performance.
#11. Use of an unofficial charger
Source: Soulsicle123
#12. Ordered a new right-arrow key for my laptop for $8, but they gave me a left-arrow key. I can’t place it in upside-down because the corner of the right-arrow slot is slightly cut off.
Source: crazyberns
#13. With my remaining 3% battery on my phone, I post this
Source: DirePegasus
#14. My coworker left his phone under the industrial paper cutter
Source: hecht0520
#15. My wife’s iPhone was dangling from her pocket while karting. – Phone still works though, including the camera.
Source: KilllerWhale
According to Dr. Adam Waytz, a psychologist from Northwestern University, our frustration with technology stems from how much we rely on it emotionally. “When something we trust lets us down, especially when we can’t control or understand why, it triggers a deeper reaction,” he says.
That’s why tech fails feel so personal. We treat devices like allies—until they betray us at the worst possible moment.
#16. She wanted to play with the laptop
Source: Poncecutor
#17. My brother cut my laptop charger and is mad I didnt react
Source: 4rfs
#18. Had an epileptic seizure with my computer on my lap…
Source: GinjaNinja1027
#19. Came home to find my charger sipping my water
Source: Magen137
#20. Thought my backpack was waterproof as it started pouring while I was walking outside. It was not. Finals are in 4 days – Screen shut off after a few minutes then the laptop started smoking
Source: Limp-Regular-2589
There’s a term for it: computer rage. It describes the sudden burst of anger, frustration, or helplessness that people feel when their devices don’t function as expected—usually at the worst possible moment. It’s a psychological response so common that researchers have studied it for decades.
Computer rage can involve anything from yelling at your phone to physically attacking your keyboard. In fact, a 2009 study published in the journal Human Factors found that users are more likely to act out aggressively toward unresponsive technology than they are toward people, largely because we expect machines to work perfectly. When they don’t, our sense of control evaporates.
Studies show that tech-induced stress causes elevated cortisol levels, particularly during critical or time-sensitive tasks. This is especially true when a program freezes, crashes, or auto-updates mid-project. Unlike human error, tech malfunctions feel less forgivable. Devices are supposed to be precise, efficient—logical. When they betray that expectation, it sparks disproportionate emotion.
Throwing a remote, slamming a keyboard, yelling at your phone? Science says that’s not just being dramatic—it’s your brain reacting to perceived chaos. Still… maybe keep a stress ball nearby. Or at least back up your files.
#21. I walked 2 and half hours from my school and back to get a chrome book for homework and they gave me the wrong charger.
Source: Chupbluearrow
#22. Lost my Apple Watch a few days ago.. boyfriend just found it
He said he heard a big crunch yesterday when leaving for work but wasn’t sure what it was.. oops!
Source: SKYERlM
#23. Gave my younger brother my laptop so he could watch a movie on Netflix, here’s how he returned it an hour later:
What’s the worst is that this is a laptop I use to take notes during lectures at my Uni, and now I have to figure out whether to replace the screen or try to use it in this state…
Source: Galgan_
#24. I totally forgot that having ‘now playing’ as a face on your Apple Watch isn’t just for music, but just the last ‘media’ you might have watched that day. It’s the new watch, too, the one that doesn’t turn off the screen. Cringe for me and the amount of customers who likely saw this today.
Source: BalboBigggins
#25. Travelling back to work and my bag gets caught in a car fire. All medical equipment, garmin watch, Xbox, projector and countless clothes up in smoke. Let my week get better…
Source: Jim-Jams
#26. When your charger melts your smartphone overnight…
Source: UniverseGuyD
#27. My phone case didn’t come with this pattern…..
Source: volcs0
Across Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter, tech fails have become a subgenre of relatable comedy. Subreddits like r/TechFails are digital confession booths where people post evidence of smart homes locking them out, autocorrects turning grocery lists into full-blown Shakespearean tragedies, or thermostats randomly deciding that 87°F is ideal sleeping temperature.
These moments aren’t just funny—they’re collective catharsis. They remind us we’re not alone in battling the occasional robot rebellion. Sharing these fails online transforms personal tech chaos into a global inside joke.
#28. Lost my phone at a construction site today. Found it a little later…
Source: Old-iesi
#29. My new laptop was delivered! But, that’s not my house.
Source: kvoyhacer
#30. AUGH! We just want to give our old phone to our friend’s kid for his diabetes monitoring app! Trying to reset it resulted in…this
Source: Ruffffian
#31. Coworker of mine chopped his phone in half today
Source: Major_Day
A 2020 study from the University of Michigan found that humor reduces the psychological weight of minor frustrations—especially those caused by tech. Laughter reframes the situation, shifting it from helplessness to shared absurdity.
“When people laugh at errors, they reclaim a sense of control,” researchers concluded.
So the next time your GPS sends you into a lake, just remember: you’re building emotional resilience.
#32. BF’s kid busted my still working 12 year old phone… – So many pictures lost..
Source: Darkchyldeone
#33. My mom smashed my phone
Source: stampfercamper
#34. My wife always takes my charger so I have a solution
Source: Abitrary
#35. 10-month-old iPhone (that has never been dropped or exposed to extremes of temp) suddenly decides to do this 😩
Source: lueesa
#36. It’s my first summer in Arizona. Left my laptop in my car. Lesson learned.
Source: CarbonWood
Tech fails don’t discriminate. Whether you’re a programmer or someone who still uses Internet Explorer, no one is immune. From self-deleting emails to smartwatches that think you’re sleeping when you’re mid-sprint, technology has a mind of its own—and sometimes, it’s on vacation.
But here’s the comforting truth: we’re all in this together. The next time you see a “404 Error” instead of your presentation slides, just remember—thousands of others are probably screaming into the void too. And later? They’ll post it, and we’ll all laugh together.
Because behind every tech meltdown is a great story waiting to be shared.
#37. My sister plugged this into her phone. A few minutes later it stopped spinning, and now her phone wont turn on
Source: grsercer6
#38. this watch I bought used on eBay
Source: thefringeseanmachine
#39. Literally took my phone case off for the first time in a year to see this. I have no clue when or how it happened.
Source: OneSaucyDragon
#40. My computer charger blew up in my hands and cut out power to almost all of my house
Source: GemStoned23
#41. Phone charger ended up in a bladder
Source: vada_pongal
#42. Have been wanting to give digital art with procreate a try, so got a second hand iPad. Was greeted by this during setup.
Source: Bango-Skaankk
#43. I couldn’t find my phone but it was connected to the bluetooth so I figured it was somewhere in….or out of the car.
Source: schelie
#44. My friend dropped his iPhone on the treadmill this morning. It got eaten by the belt…
Source: Reddit User
#45. My dad refused to use the case I bought for him. He dropped his phone a few days later and the LCD was damaged
Source: Im_Tsuikyit
We all have stories of technology betraying us at the worst possible moment. Maybe your GPS decided to reroute you straight into a traffic jam, or your laptop crashed during an important presentation. Whatever the case, we want to hear about it! Share your worst (or funniest) tech fails in the comments—because misery loves company.
And remember: next time your phone screen shatters, your Wi-Fi vanishes, or your laptop updates for three hours, just take a deep breath. At least now, you have the perfect excuse to go outside.
