14 DAY TRIAL // Softpedia was among the first to report a couple of days ago that a newly discovered iOS bug in the Messages app will crash or reboot any iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch device that receives a specially crafted text message.
We have also told our users how to prevent their iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch devices from getting crashed by the nasty Messages bug in the iOS 8 or later mobile operating system from Apple.
On May 27, WSJ reported immediately after talking with Apple representatives that the Cupertino company is aware of the iMessage problem that causes iDevices to crash and that it will provide a fix for the issue in an upcoming iOS software update.
One day later, on May 28, Apple published an article on their support website, officially informing users that they are aware of the iOS bug and offering a quick fix until the issue is being patched through a software update.
"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," reads the support page article.
Here's Apple's temporary solution to the iMessages bug
Apple suggests that if you've received a text message, which contained a specific string of characters, and your Messages app quit unexpectedly, you should ask Siri to "read unread messages" and to reply to the malicious message.
After the reply, you will be able to open the Messages app, so you'll have to delete the thread that contains the malicious text that makes your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch device to crash or reboot by swiping left.