Your iPhone can hang or reboot when you type a set of characters. A recent discovery has revealed a strange bug in iOS that can lead to iPhone crashes when a specific sequence of characters is typed.
A security researcher has found that entering “”::” followed by any fourth character into Spotlight Search or App Library can cause the device to freeze or reboot.
While not a security vulnerability, the bug can be triggered by any user manually typing the characters. Tests conducted by 9to5mac confirmed the issue on multiple iPhone models and iOS versions. It found that on iOS 17, typing the sequence caused the Home Screen interface to crash and restart. On iOS 18 and 18.1, Spotlight Search froze briefly but didn’t result in a full crash.
The new bug is a reminder of an old bug that hit the iPhones in 2015. Called as the “Effective Power” bug, it caused the Messages app to crash and devices to reboot when a specific message was received.
The bug seems to be related to how iOS processes certain text strings within Spotlight Search and App Library. While the bug is not a major security threat, it can be frustrating for users who encounter it. The crashes can disrupt workflows and lead to data loss if not handled carefully. However, the risk is relatively low as it requires users to intentionally type the specific set of characters.
Apple has not yet released a public statement regarding the bug. However, given the company’s track record of addressing software issues promptly, it is expected that a fix will be included in a future iOS update.
Until Apple releases a fix, users can avoid the bug by avoiding typing the specific sequence of characters in Spotlight Search or App Library. Also, it is advisable to keep your iOS software up-to-date to ensure you have the latest bug fixes.