Huge bug that shuts off phones

Had the same problem

A string of text sent in a message Crashes Iphone

This has just happened to me as well although it didn't shut my phone off instead it will not let me open up my text messages.

Restart iphone! or send a picture through your photos app to whoever sent you the string and it will let you back into messages

Its a prank going around, it just resets phone.

I work for a call center for a large cell phone company, our call centers are being hammered with this issue.

A less invasive workaround we've found is to have the victim send a picture message (started via Photos app) back to the original sender, which seems to restore the Messages app functionality, then *immediately* delete the entire conversation with the original sender.

My imessage keeps crashing as well. I cant even get into my messages. But i wasnt sent that weird arabic text so what can i do?

What if you didnt get the text & your imessage is still crashing?

I have tried almost all the solutions, like sending more messages back to the sender or sending messages to yourself via Notes, etc

But the Best and quick solution is to simply delete all the text messages completely. (Only this solution worked for me, the others did not)

[Note: This will delete all your messages]

Use the Settings app to go to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages, and select 30 Days. Press delete when it says that any messages before 30 days will be deleted (In this way, that defecting message will also be deleted)

Then, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and uncheck Set Automatically (if it applies). Then manually change the date to one at least 31 days later. An easy way is to change the year to 2016.

After that, launch Messages and enjoy

[Note: Technically this should do the job, but if still it does not, then do this]

If it doesn’t open, then again go to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages and swap between the option of “30 days” and “1 year” , and then turn again to 30 days”. Press delete when it says that your previous messages will be deleted, as a result that defecting message will also be deleted.