It looks like a new bug has been discovered in Apple’s iOS that will crash your handset when a message is received. The bug was originally spotted by Italian blog Mobile World. Tom Warren from The Verge has tested the bug out and released a video of it in action.
The video below which was posted on Twitter shows the bug happening on an iPhone when a specific message is received.
Another iOS bug is crashing iPhones and disabling access to iMessage https://t.co/9do0xyz7k4 pic.twitter.com/15Ripq7PP8
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) February 15, 2018
Understanding the Telugu Character Bug
The message is a character from the Indian language Telugu, when it is sent to Apple devices on iMessages it will cause the device to crash. This bug is particularly problematic because it not only crashes the device but also disables access to the iMessage app. This means that users are unable to open their messaging app to delete the problematic message, effectively locking them out of their own conversations.
The Telugu character bug is a type of “text bomb” that exploits vulnerabilities in the way iOS handles certain Unicode characters. When the system tries to render the Telugu character, it triggers a crash in the core text rendering engine. This is not the first time Apple has faced such issues; similar bugs have been discovered in the past involving Arabic and Chinese characters.
Steps to Fix the Issue
The way to fix this is to get one of your friends to send you another message. This new message will push the problematic Telugu character message down in the conversation thread, allowing you to open the iMessage app without it crashing immediately. Once the app is open, you will then need to delete the message with the Telugu character in it to prevent further crashes.
For those who are unable to receive a new message, another workaround involves using Siri to send a message to the person who sent the Telugu character. This can sometimes allow you to bypass the crash and delete the offending message. Alternatively, you can try accessing your messages through a different Apple device, such as a Mac or iPad, to delete the problematic message.
Apple has acknowledged the issue and is expected to release a software update to fix the bug. In the meantime, users are advised to be cautious about opening messages from unknown contacts and to avoid clicking on suspicious links.
This bug highlights the importance of robust software testing and the challenges of maintaining security in a complex ecosystem like iOS. While Apple is generally quick to address such issues, the recurrence of text bomb bugs suggests that more comprehensive solutions may be needed to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.
Source The Verge
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