New iOS Bug Crashes iPhones with Specific Character Input; Affects Spotlight Search
Sumedha Sen
A recently discovered bug can crash a user’s iPhone when a specific set of characters is typed.
A security researcher has found that typing “”:: can cause the Apple mobile user interface, known as Springboard, to crash, reports TechCrunch.
According to 9to5Mac, the issue affects typing in Spotlight Search from the iPhone Home Screen or App Library search bar.
The bug cannot be triggered by anyone except the iOS device owner typing the characters and is reportedly not a security issue. 9to5Mac tested the bug on iOS 17, iOS 18, and iOS 18.1.
On iOS 17, typing “”:: characters causes Springboard to crash and the device to soft reboot.