iOS 18, released last Monday, has been causing issues for Apple users due to a critical bug found in the iMessage app. This bug can crash the device and lead to data loss in a particular scenario.
A critical issue in iMessage is creating a problem on iOS 18.
When an individual shares an Apple Watch watch face during an iMessage chat, it initiates a sequence of events. For users on iOS 18, it is crucial not to reply when they receive a message containing this watch face.
If the message is replied to, the iMessage application will crash each time the user attempts to access that chat. The crashes may happen so often that it becomes challenging to engage in other conversations. iMessage is also unreliable on beta editions of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS 15.1.
The bug impacts both the sender and the recipient of the message, showing similar symptoms for both parties.
Resolving the iMessage bug on iOS 18.
The sole option available then is for both users to erase the phone conversation, which will also remove all message history and any attachments like photos and videos not saved elsewhere in iMessage.
If the conversation is deleted by the user and then attempted to be recovered from the deleted items section, the bug will resurface, rendering this approach ineffective. It is anticipated that Apple will tackle this issue in the upcoming iOS 18 update (likely to be named iOS 18.0.1), which is eagerly awaited. Apple is expected to provide a fix for this issue on iOS, macOS, and watchOS platforms soon. Users are advised to refrain from responding to messages on threads if someone shares an Apple Watch watch face until an update is rolled out.