iOS Notification Crash Bug 2020

Post date: Apr 23, 2020 10:48:18 PM

A new string of text has been found to crash iPhones. Upon receiving a notification containing the text, you won't be able to get out of the current app you're in, and must hard restart your phone.

FIX

• Hard restart: Press the Volume Up button, the Volume Down button, then hold down the Power button.
• Update to the latest version of iOS. It doesn't work on iOS 13.4.5, the latest version at the time of writing.
• Turn off notifications from places or people you feel might do this.
• If your iPhone is jailbroken, install the CaptureTheFlag tweak.

For the sake of documentation, the string is included here.

Multiple variations of the crash text have spread, but all that is needed is بٍٍٍٍََُُُِّّّْرٍٍٍٍََُُِِّّّْآٍٍٍَُّ . It uses Unicode characters from the Sindhi language in a way that iOS doesn't know how to process, and in some variations the Italian Flag or Virus emoji. The COVID-19 coronavirus is most likely the reason for those additions. A similar crash happened years ago.

Variations

بٍٍٍٍََُُُِّّّْرٍٍٍٍََُُِِّّّْآٍٍٍَُّ🇮🇹 بٍٍٍٍََُُُِّّّْرٍٍٍٍََُُِِّّّْآٍٍٍَُّ🇮🇹

بٍٍٍٍََُُُِّّّْرٍٍٍٍََُُِِّّّْآٍٍٍَُّ🇪🇬 بٍٍٍٍََُُُِّّّْرٍٍٍٍََُُِِّّّْآٍٍٍَُّ🇪🇬

بٍٍٍٍََُُُِّّّْرٍٍٍٍََُُِِّّّْآٍٍٍَُّ 🦠 بٍٍٍٍََُُُِّّّْرٍٍٍٍََُُِِّّّْآٍٍٍَُّ