How to Fix a 'Text Bomb' Crashing WhatsApp
A recently discovered vulnerability with WhatsAppâand I use that term more loosely than usual, because this one doesnât really seem like the appâs fault, per seâcan lead to an incredibly frustrating crash loop if some stupid user sends you messages the app canât handle.
Weâve seen this trick before: By dumping obscure characters into a message that WhatsApp doesnât know how to process, a sender can crash a recipientâs app. But this isnât a one-time joke; when you try to load WhatsApp, it will once again try to process characters it canât handle, and crash again.
Since your WhatsApp chat history is tied to your device, not stored in the cloud, one quick way to fix this issue is to delete and reinstall the app. Thatâll wipe your chats and get the app working again, but thereâs the rub. Anything you havenât previously backed up will be gone for good.
There is one more trick you can try if youâre encountering this issue, as reported by Tomâs Guide:
If you do receive one of these suspicious-looking messages, thereâs a potential way to get rid of it safely. If you log into WhatsApp Web on a desktop or laptop computer, block the user who sent the message, then set your privacy to âMy Contactsâ or âMy Contacts except..â and finally delete the message, you will have escaped a potential issue.
However, this only works if you already have a WhatsApp Web session open, so itâs not a solution if your appâs already crashing and canât access the menu that lets you set one up.
Were I youâand I was a rabid WhatsApp userâI might go ahead and set up a web session right now just in case. It takes less than one minute to do, and by checking the âKeep me signed inâ box, you should be able to access WhatsApp from your computer browser without issue until WhatsApp drops a patch for this issue. (Iâm sure thatâs on the way.)
Otherwise, make sure youâve been backing up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive or iCloud. Iâd go do that right now, in fact, and then set a regular backup frequency so you donât lose your chats for any other strange reasons in the future. You can never be too careful!
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