Apple Daily: iMessage Bug Causing Crashes; Updated WWDC App; Apple Again Top Brand

In today's Apple Daily, a string of characters in iMessage is causing some iPhones to crash. In other news, Apple updated its official WWDC app to support the Apple Watch, and Apple regained its top spot in a widely known ranking of valuable brands.

Script-Based iMessage Bug Causing iPhones to Crash

Earlier today a user on Reddit posted that a string of mostly Arabic letters could cause an iPhone to crash if received through the Messages app, and after the news spread throughout the Internet, Apple has already sent a statement to Reuters claiming that it's aware of the problem and attempting to fix it.

Specifically, the Cupertino company announced that it's "aware of an iMessage issue caused by a specific series of Unicode characters and we will make a fix available in a software update."

Source: MacRumors

It's a particularly nasty bug in that it will continue to crash your system if you keep trying to open your Messages app in list view. While it won't crash immediately if you open the relevant conversation in conversation mode, it will crash if you try to switch to another conversation. It's reportedly not affecting every iOS user, though, leading one Reddit poster to suggest that it's being caused by problems with how Unicode text is processed in banner notifications.

MacRumors has compiled a helpful list of things to do if you happen to be affected by the issue, such as sending a message to yourself, either through Siri or through the "Share" function in another app. Once that meesage is opened, you can reportedly delete the offending message.

This isn't the first time strings of random Arabic characters have caused problems Apple's systems. Back in 2013, another string caused both iOS and Mac OS X to crash when it appeared on-screen, but Apple issued a patch not long after. As was the case then, this is one of those cases where calling attention to the problem only worsens it (and indeed, the original post claims the bug has been around since iOS 6), as trolls and pranksters are taking to sending the string to other iOS users.

Here's to hoping that the software update in question comes during the next couple of days and not, say, during WWDC.

Apple Updates WWDC App with Support for Apple Watch

Speaking of which, Apple's 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference is coming up on June 8-10, and today the company updated its official WWDC mobile app. The update is noteworthy because it confirms that the keynote address for the event will take place on Monday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST, and because it's the first time that app has been available for the Apple Watch.

The release notes for the app claim that the latest update allows users to add sessions to the Calendar app, listen to audio from sessions after you’ve left the app or locked your device, and to "give feedback" on videos from the event directly through the Videos tab.

The event itself is expected to focus on the announcements of iOS 9 and Mac OS X 11, in addition to the possible public reveals of a new Apple TV and its long-awaited streaming music service. As always, we at Mac|Life will be on hand to relay the news as it's announced.

Apple Regains Title As World's Most Valuable Brand

Apple typically tops the list on Millward Brown's annual BrandZ brand value report, but last year it lost that distinction to Google. Following the massive success of the iPhone 6, however, our favorite Cupertino company is back on top on account of what Millward Brown sees as a massive 67 percent rise in brand value to $246.9 billion. Over the last year, the report says, Google merely achieved a 9 percent increase in value.

"Apple continues to 'own' its category by innovating and leading the curve in a way that generates real benefits for consumers," says Doreen Wang, Millward Brown’s Global Head of BrandZ, in the report. "It meets their rational and emotional needs, and makes life easier in a fun and relevant way. Apple is clear on what it stands for, and never stops refreshing its message to sustain the difference that makes it so desirable."

Millward Brown compiles the rankings based on "the views of potential and current buyers of a brand, alongside financial data." Technology and telecom companies took up most slots in the top 10, although Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Marlboro took up the 8th, 9th, and 10th slots respectively.

Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.