Apple is aware of an iMessage issue caused by a specific series of unicode characters and we will make a fix available in a software update.
Until the update is available, you can use these steps to re-open the Messages app:
1. Ask Siri to “read unread messages.”
2. Use Siri to reply to the malicious message. After you reply, you’ll be able to open Messages again.
3. In Messages, swipe left to delete the entire thread. Or tap and hold the malicious message, tap More, and delete the message from the thread.
Source: Apple Inc.
SEE ALSO:
Apple promises fix for ‘Unicode of Death’ iMessage bug – May 27, 2015
Random string of Arabic characters can crash nearly any Mac, iPhone or iPad – September 3, 2013
Ge’ez, another non-issue for over 99.999% of iPhone users.
If my experience is any indicator, people are having fun with this. My best friend hit me with it a couple of nights ago. So I hit him back. Last night at a high school band concert the lady in front of me received it, and after rebooting sent “Ha ha ha” back to her friend.
Now, if you want my script to send it every five minutes, see me after the meeting. 🙂
It won’t be a non-issue if it keeps getting press like this. 🙁
Heck, I almost wanted to try it on my family. But then my son might have also wanted to use it on his friends, and then….
Please, MDN, quit pushing this into people’s heads until it *is* fixed.
Not really. This thing has gone viral among teenagers and is causing trouble for several of my family members. It’s a glitch and not a security issue but people are freaking out.
Another workaround: Turn OFF Notifications in Settings.
The bug is actually in Notifications, not iMessage.
“Don’t hold your iMessages like that.”
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
From reddit, it might be a combination of left, right reading languages, and notifications freaks out. So, not related to specific text. If you want I can post what they were sharing, here… 😉
We did a test at work, where I would receive that string of text onto my iPhone 6 Plus. Nothing happened.
I agree with silverhawk1 that for most iPhone users this will be a non-issue.
So this is yet another example of the Media persecuting Apple with misleading stories.