An unusual character string is causing Apple devices to crash
But Apple is already working on a fix.
A new character-linked bug is doing the rounds on Apple devices, causing iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches to crash when they receive a particular string of characters via a notification. As reported on MacRumors, this one appears to comprise the Italian flag emoji and characters from the Sindhi language, and causes a system crash when displayed via an incoming notification.
It’s certainly not the first time Apple users have been hit with this type of bug. Back in 2018, for example, a character from the Telugu language was responsible for crashing thousands of devices. There’s no way to prevent problematic characters from causing crashes, although as in this instance the bug only appears to affect notifications, Apple users might consider turning off notifications until the issue is resolved.
Apple usually fixes these types of bugs within a few days, so don’t expect it to be an ongoing problem. MacRumors has already reported that some users have found the issue to be fixed in the second beta of iOS 13.4.5, so it’s unlikely to have too wide an impact.
