Apple releases fix for effective power iPhone crash prank

4.6
There's a text that you can send to your friends, that will crash their phone instantly, if it's sent from an iPhone to another iPhone.

It's been annoying people across the country, as people message each other the secret code.
The string of unique characters resets the phone, causing it to frustratingly turn on and off.

However, Apple today released a statement saying how to fix the phone if it is sent the malicious text.
The iPhone maker told the Press Association: "Apple is aware of an iMessage issue caused by a specific series of unicode characters and we will make a fix available in a software update. Until the update is available, you can use these steps to re-open the Messages app."


Sending your friend the string of characters, however, does not just crash Messages.
It can also be used to affect the Snapchat and Twitter apps, if sent in private messages on either of the platforms.

However, an expert has told the Press Association that nothing more sinister than a simple reboot will happen if you are sent the message, and that they assume Apple will fix it soon.

Mark James, security specialist at anti-virus firm ESET said: "I am sure we have all had our desktop machines reboot after a seemingly random event has triggered the dreaded reboot. These mobile computers we call phones today have the same core instructions - if all else fails then reboot.

"This does not necessarily mean it's a security flaw or indeed an exploitable bug but Apple will none the less try and rectify this as soon as they possibly can."

Posted:
Related Forum: Mobile Devices

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/11638930/Apple-releases-fix-for-effective-power-iPhone-crash-prank.html

Comments

"Apple releases fix for effective power iPhone crash prank" :: Login/Create an Account :: 66 comments

If you would like to post a comment please signin to your account or register for an account.

SupervisorPosted:

I'm glad that it's fixed mine used to crash a lot.

MickersPosted:

Have they fixed the new one??

SeedPosted:

So glad this is fixed. My buds would always crash my phone and it would drive me crazy

SagePosted:

ClimaticCamel Someone sent that to me and it did nothing so they looked more like a fool then anything else.


This is why you get an android! Android master race.

MovieTheatreButterPosted:

Someone sent that to me and it did nothing so they looked more like a fool then anything else.

MajPosted:

This is fun to do to others, but when someone does it to you. Different story

FortyTwoPosted:

Like an hour after people stated finding this out my facebook news feed was flooded with it... people turning phones off aha

glad i don't have iphone

KatsumiChanPosted:

I heard about this on Reddit, seems like it spread around VERY fast.

#MVC

TaigaAisakaPosted:

Hopefully nothing like this happens again. While I haven't been hit by this, I have been hit with messages that freeze your device, that being Skype almost a year back, where someone could change the title of a group to some random string of characters, which would freeze that group and crash Skype.

#MVC+

SkyPosted:

it was getting really anoying !! thank god !!