Hey Siri, can you help me get access to my texts again after that strange message I received consisting of non-Latin characters crashed my iPhone? In advance of a software update to fix the bug, yes it can. Apple has published a temporary workaround for iOS users affected by the bug, which was found to affect iPhones earlier in the week, and subsequently revealed to be capable of affecting the Apple Watch, iPads and Macs. In a new article published on its support website, Apple outlined a three-step process, enabling people to open their Messages app again: The booby-trapped text message presented characters including those from Arabic, Chinese and Marathi in a specific sequence that choked Apple's CoreText system, crashing the recipient's device and leaving them unable to access their messages. Related: iPhone text message bug can crash Apple Watch, iPad and Mac too Pranksters seized upon the message to crash friends' iPhones, but security experts have warned that this kind of bug has the potential to be used for more malicious purposes in the future.