This implies whether or not you seek for one thing like “”:: or “A”:B, your iPhone will behave unexpectedly. To set off the bug, the characters must be typed into the App Library search bar, Settings app search bar, or the Highlight Search display screen.

The characters will trigger an iPhone’s consumer interface, Springboard, to crash momentarily.

Whereas the behaviour is definitely unusual, it is happily not a safety bug, in keeping with iOS safety researcher Ryan Stortz, reviews TechCrunch.

Which means, not like the notorious 2015 and 2018 bugs that gave anybody with ailing intent the flexibility to remotely disable entry to iOS’s Messages apps and third-party apps equivalent to Gmail, WhatsApp, and Fb Messenger, this bug poses no risk. So except you’re into self-sabotaging behaviour and wish to see your gadget behave erratically, there’s nothing to fret about.

The bug reportedly additionally works on iPads. Numerous iPhone working system variations are weak to it, with 9to5Mac reporting that it may be triggered on each the most recent model of iOS 17 in addition to iOS 18 and iOS 18.1, although it behaves otherwise on every of them.

If you’re on iOS 17, the characters will trigger Springboard to crash and gentle reboot, whereas on iOS 18 and iOS 18.1, it would solely result in a momentarily Highlight Search freeze.

Apple hasn’t commented on the difficulty however will seemingly launch a repair for the character bug quickly.