Another Unicode bug has been found that is able of crashing apps and operating systems, crossing from WhatsApp on Android to iMessage on iOS.
It includes black dot that is pointing left emoji with some other hidden characters. Simply it is leading to the system crash. Usually, when the bug hits iMessage, the problem can be fixed by deleting the conversation carrying the uncertain message. The following actions run on iPhone 6s and current, excluding the iPhone SE:
Steps to fix black-dot bug on iMessage
- First Force close the iMessages app.
- Then Ask Siri to give a response to the sender of the message so that the Unicode order is no longer the freshest bubble in the conversation.
- 3D Touch on the Messages app icon from the home screen and tap New Message in the menu that pops open.
- Tapping on Cancel in the top-right corner of the New Message screen.
- Now Tapping on Edit in the top-left corner of the conversation list.
- Next is to Tap the circle to the left of the conversation including the problematic message. A blue checkmark will appear on the screen.
- Lastly, Tap on Delete in the bottom-right corner.
With iPhone with Siri but not 3D Touch, changing from the iPhone 4s to the iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone SE, the steps are somewhat different:
- Force close the Messages app first.
- Order Siri to send a reply to the sender of the message as many times as needed until the bubble including the Unicode string is bounced off the visible part of the conversation.
- Start the Messages app.
- Tapping on the back arrow in the top-left corner to return to the conversation list.
- Then Tap on Edit in the top-left corner of the conversation list.
- Next Tap the circle to the left of the conversation having the problematic message. A blue checkmark will appear.
- Lastly, Tap on Delete in the bottom-right corner.
The bug attacks both iOS 11.3 and iOS 11.4 beta, and several different software versions, platforms, and devices. Apple has a problem to fix, but it will possibly release software updates to address the problem soon.
