iPhone may crash due to a new iOS bug

Users of iPhones are being alerted of a recently found flaw that may result in device crashes. The problem can be caused by typing a certain combination of four letters, which makes the Apple mobile user interface, Springboard, freeze. The Settings app's and the App Library's search bars have both recognised the fault.

A security researcher found that typing "":: can cause the Apple mobile user interface. It has been verified that those characters do crash Springboard when typed into the Search bar in the Settings app, as well as if you swipe all the way to the right on your home screen and type them into the App Library search bar.

 As others noted, all that's needed is actually "": and any other character. Triggering the bug briefly crashes Springboard, then reloads to your lock screen. In other tests, the bug flashed the screen black for a second. Apple did not comment when reached.

As per researchers, the bug appears to be non-threatening to security. Ryan Stortz, whose field is iOS security and who investigated the issue, said, "It's not a security bug." Patrick Wardle, a researcher on iOS who is also the founder of the security firm DoubleYou, also agreed to the fact.

According to Forbes, when the bug is triggered, it crashes your iPhone's springboard and then reloads to the lock screen. In some cases, the screen flashes black first.

The bug crashes iPhones when the characters are typed into the Search bar in the Settings app, as well as when you swipe all the way to the right on your home screen and type the characters into the App Library search bar.