The new iOS text message bug affects Apple Watches and iPads

May 27, 2015 19:25 GMT  ·  By

We've reported earlier today that a newly discovered iOS bug can reboot iPhone and iPad devices by crashing the Messages app when receiving a certain crafted text message that contains Unicode characters.

The bad news is that the bug is out there, and Apple has had no reaction until now. However, we are certain that they are aware of it, as numerous media websites have covered the story today, so a fix might be coming sooner than you think.

After more research, we've learned that the bug only affects users who run the iOS 8 or later operating system, as well as Apple Watch devices, not only iPhones and iPads. So, let's cut to the chase and tell you how to avoid your iPhone being crashed/rebooted by the text message bug.

The first thing you need to know about the new iOS bug explained above is that your iPhone will crash only if you open the malicious text message, which can be either an SMS or an iMessage. But the nasty part of all this is that your iPhone will also reboot when you receive the notification with the respective message on your lock screen.

Here's how to prevent the new Messages bug from crashing your devices

Our suggestion is to turn off notifications for your Messages app (thanks, Liel Efargan, for the tip). To do that, open Settings, go to Notifications, tap on Messages and press on the "Allow Notifications" switch to turn off the messages notifications. The same applies to Apple Watch and iPad devices.

Of course, this is a dirty workaround, and a real fix is an iOS software update from Apple, which should come quite soon as an 8.3.1 version. We will keep you updated when we have new information and when the patch from Apple becomes live, so you can update your devices immediately.