A couple days after a new iOS bug was discovered, allowing a select string of characters sent in an iMessage or text to reset iPhones and crash the Messages app, Apple has created a new support document to address the problem. The Cupertino company acknowledges the problem and says that it's working on a fix, offering temporary solutions in the mean time.
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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.
In addition to Apple's suggestions, there are other possible fixes that have worked for MacRumors in other scenarios. For instance, if Messages was opened in conversation list view you can fix the issue by having someone send you a message or sending yourself a message via Siri or through the Share sheet in any app.
Top Rated Comments
I've been having fun messing with people the past few days with this.
I'm glad I don't know you.
Save the shorter version of the Unicode string as a contact card and send it over WhatsApp and it will kill WhatsApp and need you to uninstall the app and lose all conversations. Send the contact card over SMS and it screws up contacts and crashes the app.
Set the short version as a WiFi hotspot name and it causes all iOS devices nearby searching for WiFi to crash the settings app.
This does not solve the problem and is a worry that it could somehow be sent at a more system level app and cause more serious problems.
I've found cutting a potato in half, rubbing one half all over my phone, and then burying the rest in my front lawn at night to be a fairly reliable fix.
Offering this as advice is really dangerous, because somebody might try it. Everybody knows it's an onion you have to cut in half, not a potato. :p