This 'effective power' text will make your friend's iPhone crash if you send it to them

today

This is a surefire way to annoy all your friends- a bug in the Apple operating system means that if you send this text to your friends, it will reset their phone.

The string of characters are really specific, but if you copy and paste it into a text, it will turn their phone off.

• NEW: Apple releases fix for effective power iPhone crash prank

Only the people who know the characters will be able to send it to their friends, and once they do, the phone will crash.

It only works if you send it to someone who also has an iPhone. It won't work if you or the recipient has a Windows or Android phone.

People on Twitter have found the prank funny and are using it to bug their friends.

effective.  Power لُلُصّبُلُلصّبُررً ॣ ॣh ॣ ॣ 冗 Send that to someone with an iPhone it turns their phone off @_ernestoraul

— Santos Enrique (@santosmedina97) May 27, 2015

effective. Power لُلُصّبُلُلصّبُررً ॣ ॣh ॣ ॣ 冗 No one man should have all this power.

— Ri (@RiSay88) May 27, 2015

When ur mom telling u to get home from the party effective.  Power لُلُصّبُلُلصّبُررً ॣ ॣh ॣ ॣ 冗

— Larissa Morgan (@larissamorg4n) May 27, 2015

when my girl is on her phone but not texting me back effective.  Power لُلُصّبُلُلصّبُررً ॣ ॣh ॣ ॣ 冗

— . (@thedopeusername) May 27, 2015

This is destroying people and relationships effective.  Power لُلُصّبُلُلصّبُررً ॣ ॣh ॣ ॣ 冗

— Yellow Squash (@JacobMasse) May 27, 2015

teacher: put your phone down and work on your review sheet me: effective. Power لُلُصّبُلُلصّبُررً ॣ ॣh ॣ ॣ 冗

— yani (@lightsyeez) May 27, 2015

It's already becoming something of a Twitter sensation, with jokes being based around it and people recounting the fun they've had playing pranks on their friends.

It is a very annoying thing to happen. Here's how to safeguard your phone from it

You don't want your phone shutting off at the behest of your cheeky friends.

Until Apple finds a fix, the only way to avoid it is to turn off Message notifications.

  • Go to settings
  • Click on Notifications
  • Click on Messages
  • Then slide across the button that says 'Allow Notifications' until it is no longer green.

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