California has always been a hotspot for new trends, from green juices to tech breakthroughs. But one man wasn’t expecting to stumble onto the next “innovation” while casually sipping his morning coffee. In fact, what he saw left him more disturbed than impressed, and the internet can’t stop talking about it.
The bizarre story comes from TikTok user @MmarkRoberts, whose video has already racked up more than 800K views. In the clip, the California man sits at home with a look of disbelief as he recalls the strange encounter. Above his head, text flashes: “To the people at Apple that designed the iOS 26, I do not know if you know this.” Right off the bat, you know he’s about to spill some piping-hot tech tea.
So, what exactly happened? According to the TikToker, he had stopped by a local coffee shop in the morning to grab a cup of caffeine when he noticed something odd. Across the room, another man sat hunched over his phone, repeatedly sticking his tongue in and out.
California Man Shocked To See Coffee Shop Customer Using His Tongue To Scroll Through Phone
At first, our storyteller assumed maybe this stranger was recording some quirky, overly dramatic TikTok skit. California is full of creators after all. But after watching for several minutes, it became clear this wasn’t performance art.
The “coffee shop tongue man” would pause occasionally, set his phone down, then pick it up again and resume the same odd behavior. After five solid minutes of this, the California TikToker admitted something was definitely up. Still, he couldn’t quite figure out the puzzle until he stood up to leave. That’s when everything clicked.
As he passed by, he caught sight of the man’s phone screen and the shocking reality: the stranger wasn’t making a video at all. He was scrolling through TikTok with his tongue. Yes, instead of swiping with his fingers like the rest of humanity, he was navigating his feed by flicking his tongue across the screen.
Apparently, this isn’t some freak accident. iOS 26 introduced a “hands-free” scrolling feature meant for accessibility and convenience. While most people assumed it would be used with eyes or voice commands, this guy clearly found a different, uh, creative way to make it work. The California TikToker even confessed he later looked up a tutorial and discovered that, yes, Apple’s new update actually allows this. Naturally, he had to try it himself.
And An Online Debate Was Born
Of course, the internet was divided. Some were horrified, others amused, and a few even supportive. “Gotta do what you gotta do,” one commenter shrugged. Others compared it to peak dystopia, like a Black Mirror episode playing out in real time at Starbucks. “So I don’t like this,” another wrote. “It’s an accessibility feature, but yeah weird,” a third weighed in. “
Is tongue scrolling really the future of tech? Sure, it’s hands-free, but it’s also a little gross. Imagine the germs. Imagine the looks you’d get on public transit. Still, California is no stranger to being ahead of the curve, and who knows? Maybe in a year we’ll all be flicking through TikTok with our tongues like it’s no big deal.
For now, though, it’s just one California man’s unforgettable morning coffee experience and a reminder that tech “progress” isn’t always as glamorous as Apple wants us to believe.
Hunter Spears 
Kendra Quinn 
