In case anyone is curious, you can change the date of an iOS device while the wifi is off, and it will actually trick the game!
I had a dweller (one from each vault) exploring the wastes for [b]33 days[/b]. My game kept crashing in the loading screen, so I gave up until the recent patch (with them out there still obviously)
It should have taken another 13 or 14 days for them to return as of today, but I changed the date to september 8th or something, and both dwellers were waiting at the door when I loaded up my vaults.
Credit for this find goes to OP
<3 you no homo