Apple has now confirmed that a fix for a recently discovered bug is coming in the iOS 11.3, macOS 10.13.4, watchOS 4.3, and tvOS 11.3 updates that are currently being beta tested ahead of a release this spring. This bug has caused apps like Messages to crash on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, causing frustration for many users.
The company told iMore’s Rene Ritchie that the bug will be addressed in an upcoming iOS update that will be released even before iOS 11.3, so users won’t have to wait long for a fix. It’s presumed that minor updates for other operating systems will come at the same time.
It was discovered that the bug was induced by sending a specific character in the Indian language Telugu. It causes certain apps on Apple devices to freeze up and become unresponsive. So far, affected apps have included Messages, Safari, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger to name a few.
If a user were to send the character in Messages, for example, it can cause the entire app to freeze on all of that users Mac and iOS devices. The app may then refuse to function properly until the offending character is removed by deleting the conversation with the person who sent it. In other situations, if the character is viewed through an iOS notification, it can cause the entire device to crash, resulting in a re-spring or worse.
Apple users have received a message with the character and to combat it will need to delete the Messages conversation with the person who sent the character. Alternatively, installing the iOS 11.3 or macOS 10.13.4 betas will fix the problem.
