Beware! Your iPhone will crash immediately if you do this
What's the story
A newly discovered bug has the potential to temporarily crash iPhones and iPads, simply by typing a specific sequence of characters.
The glitch was first identified by a security researcher and later confirmed by TechCrunch.
It involves typing the sequence "": followed by any character, which causes Apple's interface, known as Springboard, to briefly crash and return users to their lock screen.
User experience
Bug's impact on device functionality
The bug manifests when the specific character sequence is entered into the search bar of either the Settings app or App Library.
This action triggers a temporary crash, sometimes accompanied by a brief black screen flash before normal functionality resumes.
Despite its unusual behavior, experts have confirmed that this bug does not pose any security threat to Apple devices.
Expert opinion
Experts confirm bug is not a security threat
iOS security researcher, Ryan Stortz, has analyzed the bug and confirmed that it does not compromise device security.
Patrick Wardle, another iOS expert and founder of the security start-up DoubleYou, concurs with this assessment. He describes the bug as a nuisance rather than a danger.
This glitch differs from previous ones as it requires users to manually type in the problematic character sequence themselves.
So unless you're particularly curious and decide to try it, you're unlikely to encounter this issue.
Company response
Apple yet to address the bug
As of now, Apple has not issued any statement regarding this bug. However, it is anticipated that a fix will be included in a future update.
Until then, users are advised to avoid typing the sequence "": into their search bars to prevent any temporary disruption in their device's operation.