Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has released a fix for the “Effective Power” text message that can mess with iPhones.
According to Apple’s official support page, users that have been hit by the Effective Power text –or any text with unicode that affects iMessage– only have to take a few simple steps to fix the issues.
Here are the steps Apple recommends to fix an affected device:
- Ask Siri to “read unread messages.”
- Use Siri to reply to the malicious message. After you reply, you’ll be able to open Messages again.
- If the issue continues, tap and hold the malicious message, tap More, and delete the message from the thread.
Apple also said that a software update is in the works that will fix iPhones so that the Effective Power text won’t affect iMessage.
The Effective Power text has to be received in a specific way for it to work. The message has to come in while the device is locked and a notification is received for it. There are other methods of bypassing the bug, but Apple’s seems to be the simplest way to do so.
