A new bug in Apple’s iOS has been discovered, revealing that a simple text string can cause iPhones to crash. A security researcher shared this finding on Mastodon, showing that typing a specific sequence of characters into Spotlight Search or the App Library can lead to an immediate crash. The problematic text string is simply: ": followed by any additional character.

According to a report, entering the combination ": along with any fourth character triggers the crash. However, experts have reassured users that this issue does not pose a security risk. There is no evidence suggesting that the bug can be exploited by anyone other than the iPhone owner who types in these characters.

Tests conducted by tech site 9to5Mac on various iPhone models and iOS versions revealed that on iOS 17, typing the problematic characters causes the iPhone's Home Screen interface, known as Springboard, to crash and reboot. Users on iOS 18 or iOS 18.1 experience a brief freeze in Spotlight Search, but the interface does not crash entirely.

This bug is limited to when the text string is entered into Spotlight Search or the App Library search bar directly from the Home Screen. While it may cause temporary disruption, it is not an unprecedented issue in Apple’s history.

Apple has yet to issue an official response to this bug. The company is known for quickly addressing such issues through software updates. Although rare, this glitch is expected to be fixed in a future iOS update.

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