This text message will crash your iPhone

An obscure iPhone bug is causing the device to crash from a simple text message.

Apparently, there’s a potent combination of symbols and Arabic characters that, when texted to an iPhone, causes the phone to crash and quickly reboot.

{mosads}The iMessage app continues to shut down after the reboot if it is opened to a list view of all text conversations.

Reddit users were the first to catch onto the quirky bug. Apple has acknowledged the problem and is working on a fix, TechCrunch reported.

Why this particular string of symbols and characters causes such an effect is not clear, but it appears to be a glitch in the way Apple’s iOS mobile operating system renders Arabic text.

After testing the flaw, Apple news site MacRumors discovered the messages app does not crash if you open it directly to the conversation with the offending message. You can then nullify the problem by sending a text back in response.

As of now, the glitch has mostly been used by friends to prank each other.

The Guardian has a video of the nefarious text message in action.