A major bug has been found in iOS that causes the Messages app to crash and iPhones to reboot.
The worrying thing about this newly discovered bug is that it occurs whenever a certain text message is received. It only works when the message is from another iPhone (so it has to be an iMessage).
However, once received, the malicious message causes the Messages app to repeatedly crash. Meanwhile, if you receive the message when your iPhone is on its lock screen, the bug will force your phone to reboot.
Fortunately, the specific text combination (which involves a combination of symbols and Arabic characters) is very specific and really quite unusual, so it isn’t something you’re likely to experience by accident. Of course, there are plenty of imbeciles out there looking to get some cheap laughs/revenge for a past wrongdoing.
What if you have received the troublesome message? There are a couple of workarounds, as pointed out by 9to5Mac.
One is to get the person who sent the original message to send another, though of course their cooperation may not be a given if they’re the sort of person to send such a message in the first place.
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Another, more reliable method is to send yourself a message, whether through Siri (just say “Send a message to myself”), the share option in an app, or from your Mac.
Either way, you can expect Apple to move swiftly to eradicate this troublesome bug once and for all.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.