It appears anyone can crash an iPhone just by sending an iMessage or SMS, no thanks to an iOS glitch.
According to The Guardian, an iOS bug - first discovered by several Reddit users - has been causing the Messages app to crash and iPhones to reboot when a certain iMessage is received.
This happens as long as the recipient is not viewing the message history at the time.
The message contains the words "effective power" followed by a string of non-English symbols.
It was reported that the problem arises from the way the iPhone tries to display the message in notifications.
The non-English symbols cause the system to crash while attempting to show the message, before rebooting the phone in an attempt to fix it, according to The Guardian.
Tech Radar reported that some users experienced reboot when they received the message via SMS, suggesting that the issue is not exclusive to iMessage.
According to tech website 9to5mac, the problem is not limited to iPhone-to-iPhone communication as there are instances of iPhone crashing upon receiving the message sent from an Android phone.
Reddit users have commented on the community forum that the bug is crashing Apple Watches as well as apps like Instagram and WhatsApp, Cosmopolitan US reported.
MacRumours, an Apple news blog, said that the bug is affecting all versions of iOS.
This has become a prank especially for those with mischievous friends. Users have also taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
According to Mashable, Apple said in a statement that it is aware of the issue and is working on a fix in a software update.
While it appears there is no way to avoid falling prey to the glitch until Apple sends out an update, AppleByte have reported on some fixes:
Open Notes app and create a new note with any text. Tap Share button and send it to the affected party. After the affected party receives it, relaunch Message, delete the conversation and the problem should be resolved.
The Independent UK has also suggested sending a photo to the affected party via the Photos app. It is said to allow users to access the message history and delete the conversation.
If nothing works, it is probably time for some real time catch up with your contacts.
Great!
I cannot believe this, have you verified it?
can send to spammers or advertisers
and those people u dont like
luckily my phone is still play snake game one.
Originally posted by FireIce:can send to spammers or advertisers
and those people u dont like
*laugh at you with the snake game*
This joke was fun, i've tried it.
wot in the world...
.