14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s very own Skype VoIP client is affected by a bug that crashes almost every single version of the client on both desktops and mobile devices when messages are sent or received in a conversation.
The bug was first reported by users on the Skype support forums and confirmed by the editors at VentureBeat, who also added that Mac OS X doesn’t seem to be affected by this bug. We’ve also conducted our own testing and can confirm that the Linux version of Skype isn’t affected either, but the client can crash at the other end depending on the platform that’s being used.
Basically, the only thing you have to do is type “http://:” without the quotes, and depending on your platform, you can either crash Skype on your device or on the device your contact is using.
For instance, we’ve noticed that trying to send this message from Windows Phone, Android, and iOS devices crashes Skype for the sender, but when you use Mac OS X or Linux to send this message, the client stops responding at the other end. The Windows version of Skype is also affected.
Older versions might be immune
Microsoft has already confirmed the issue in a statement, but the company says that a fix isn’t yet ready and an update for the affected versions of Skype will be released soon.
Right now, it appears that if you downgrade your version of Skype on some devices, including on Windows, you can prevent the client from crashing, but on Android and iOS, that’s pretty much impossible if you’ve already updated the apps you installed from the store.
Needless to say, clients that are not affected by the bug, including those on Mac OS X and Linux, do not need any new update or workaround, so these users are on the safe side even if Microsoft needs more time to address the bug.