14 DAY TRIAL // The message bug crashing WhatsApp on Android is now hitting iPhones as well, only that in Apple’s ecosystem it breaks down Messages to a point where it’s fairly difficult to bring it back.
Specifically, a specially crafted message that includes invisible Unicode characters causes the Messages app on an iPhone to crash completely. The app no longer launches, despite the typical workarounds like forced closes or phone reboots.
At this point, the message bug appears to spread online with the following string of emoji, though it’s worth noting that the body can be easily modified by anyone, as long as the invisible Unicode characters are still there:
<⚫> 👈🏻
If you receive this message, you should avoid opening it. Tapping the message notification or opening the conversation in Messages will crash the app on all iOS versions, including the latest stable 11.3 builds and the existing 11.4 beta builds.
All iOS and iPhone versions affected
By the looks of things, the invisible Unicode characters increase memory usage on the device receiving the message, causing repeated crashes of the app handling the message. The bug also exists on Macs, according to reports, and could affect other devices as well, like the Apple Watch. Receiving crafted messages with these characters also crashes WhatsApp on iOS.
At this point, the only workaround that could help you recover after opening this string of characters is using 3D Touch to open Messages to a new conversation, then go back to the list of messages and remove the one that includes the said code.
As long as Messages attempts to open the conversation that includes the hidden characters the app will continue to crash. Apple hasn’t yet publicly acknowledged the bug, but a patch could ship soon with the next iOS update.
WhatsApp also hasn’t released any fixes for its iOS and Android clients, so the bug can still crash the messaging app on both platforms.
