A Single Telugu Letter Is Crashing iPhones, iPads & Macs Like Crazy, Apple Working On iOS Fix
Apple is rushing to fix an iOS bug triggered by a letter from the Telugu language, especially when it's sent over iMessage or merely inserted into a text field while typing something will freeze your iPhone or make it almost unusable.
Apple's iOS 11 woes continue, and this time the blame lies on a bug triggered by a single, unsuspecting Telugu letter. No kidding.
If this Telugu letter is sent or received over iMessages or any other messaging app on iOS 11.2.5, it's making iPhones, iPads and even Macs pretty much useless.
Another iOS bug is crashing iPhones and disabling access to iMessage https://t.co/9do0xyz7k4 pic.twitter.com/15Ripq7PP8
¡ª Tom Warren (@tomwarren) February 15, 2018
The "text bomb" as some reports are terming the Telugu letter in question is also non-iMessage apps like Facebook, Gmail, Whatsapp to crash or turn unresponsive.
The bug was originally reported by Italian blog Mobile World, with many Apple users confirming the reports on social media.
If you get this message, DON'T open it: New iOS bug that displays an Indian character can crash iPhones and disable access to iMessages and WhatsApp #CyberSec
¡ª Eroshan (@EroshanSec) February 15, 2018
If you're on the latest stable version of iOS, you will be affected by this bug -- if the Telugu letter in question reaches to you on any of the iOS messaging apps.
Right now, there is no way to fix the Telugu letter problem which is only affecting iOS 11.2.5 users. Apps which receive the Telugu letter refuse to function properly until it is removed from the app completely, which usually works by deleting the entire affected conversation.
New iOS 11.2.5 bug: This Indian character will crash your iPhone and lock down the Messages app https://t.co/njdOVMbvJK pic.twitter.com/mP60RRdKPr
¡ª Handility (@handility) February 15, 2018
But how do you even get into the app and delete the conversation, if the device is unresponsive or acting funny? Simple answer -- have someone else send a message to the app that's crashing. When you see the new message notification, you can jump into the conversation by clicking on it and deleting the Telugu letter message.
Apple's aware of the iOS Telugu letter problem and is rushing to fix the issue. In the beta version of iOS 11.3, the bug has already been fixed. Expect a stable update very soon.
ALSO READ: iOS 11 Causing Problems? Here Are 11 Simple Ways In Which You Can Save Your iPhone's Battery
