A newly discovered bug can cause your iPhone to crash if you type specific characters into the search bar. Security researcher Konstantin revealed this bug, which triggers when a search term includes two double quotation marks followed by a colon, regardless of any characters in between.
What causes the crash?
The bug seems to be related to how the iPhone’s operating system handles certain search queries. When you enter a search term with the specific pattern of two double quotation marks and a colon (e.g., “”:: or “A”:B), it causes the iPhone’s user interface (Springboard) to crash momentarily.
Is it a security risk?
Fortunately, this bug is not considered a security threat, unlike previous bugs that allowed remote access and control of certain apps. It’s more of an annoyance that can disrupt your workflow.
Which devices and iOS versions are affected?
The bug affects iPhones and iPads running various iOS versions, including iOS 17, iOS 18, and iOS 18.1. The behavior varies slightly depending on the iOS version:
- On iOS 17, the characters will cause a Springboard crash and a soft reboot.
- On iOS 18 and iOS 18.1, it leads to a temporary freeze of Spotlight Search.
What to do?
Until Apple releases a fix, it’s advisable to avoid using search terms that match the described pattern. If you accidentally trigger the bug, your device should recover on its own with a soft reboot or a temporary freeze.
Apple has not yet commented on the issue but is expected to address it in an upcoming software update.
