The iPhone has been plagued by various text-related bugs over the years, with some glitches causing significant disruptions to users. Notable examples include the “Effective Power” iMessage glitch in 2015, which caused iPhones to shut down and reboot, and the “ChaiOS” flaw in 2018 which could crash devices with a single click. These issues highlight a recurring vulnerability in Apple’s smartphone, tied specifically to certain character combinations and their impact on the device’s software.
Recently, a new bug has been discovered that continues this trend. Cybersecurity researchers found that typing a specific sequence of characters (two double quotation marks followed by two colons) into certain search fields on an iPhone can cause the device’s interface, known as Springboard, to crash. This issue is less severe than previous bugs, but it still causes the phone to momentarily crash and return to the home screen.
Although the bug is not as damaging as its predecessors, it can still be an inconvenience. When the text string is entered into search fields like the settings or app library, the iPhone temporarily crashes. While some users might be tempted to try it out, reports suggest that it could lead to a black screen, potentially causing more serious problems.
This bug differs from earlier text-related vulnerabilities in that it requires the user to manually type in the characters, rather than being triggered by an incoming message or a malicious link. So far, Apple has not commented on the issue, and given that it is not considered a security threat, the company may not prioritize a quick fix. However, Apple typically addresses such bugs with software updates.
The discovery of this new bug comes just before the expected release of iOS 18, Apple’s most significant software update yet, which is set to introduce Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI tools and features. The timing raises questions about whether this minor bug will be quickly patched or if Apple will wait until the new update is rolled out.