Originally Posted by
flatlander
The check of electronics that demands you turn them on is rarely applied and then usually only to US-bound flights. It has never happened to me. Additionally iPhones tend to ship partially charged, so if challenged by this I suggest opening the box carefully and turning it on for the security people, then put it away and explain to the recipient that security forced you to open it.
This check also occurs as you head down the jetway. When the gate agent checks your ticket you'll get a not-so-magic beep and be told to head to the table where they're doing the secondary. I've seen that they are at least sometimes willing to let you connect up devices to power in order to get them to a bootable state.