WhatsApp users beware; these messages can crash your app

Two bugs are currently circulating on WhatsApp which cause the app to crash.

WhatsApp currently has two messages with bugs circulating among users. (Shutterstock)

WhatsApp is the biggest messaging platform with over 1.5 billion users globally. Messages and media shared on WhatsApp are protected with end-to-end encryption. However, some bugs make their way into the app. WhatsApp is now affected with two bugs which cause the app to crash, or even one's phone altogether.

The first bug is hidden in a message which reads, "This is very interesting (emoji)…Read more". This message has no indication of containing anything malicious. Tapping on "Read More" freezes the app. According to a post on Reddit, this message sometimes crashes not only WhatsApp but the entire system leading the user to restart their device.

A video demonstrating the bug shows the app freezing immediately after tapping on the "Read More" icon. This is followed by a popup message saying that WhatsApp isn't responding. This bug works on both Android and iOS platforms. The link for this bug is currently available on Pastebin and can be copied and sent to WhatsApp users.

The second bug is more straightforward and challenges users to test it. The message reads, "If you touch the (emoji) black point then your WhatsApp will hang". There is indeed a black dot just below the message which is said to crash the app if tapped on, IndiaTimes reports. This bug is reportedly affecting only Android users.

These bugs don't necessarily come with any major effects on WhatsApp and seem to be more of a prank. However it is advised that if anything unusual as such is spotted or heard of it's best to not try it out of curiosity.

This isn't the first time that bugs have hit WhatsApp. Recently a bug on the beta app of WhatsApp was messing up the timestamps. This bug would show timestamps of sent messages making today appear as "89ODAY" and yesterday as "89ESTERDAY". WhatsApp tests its upcoming features on the beta version which sometimes affect the smooth working of the app. The bug was soon fixed.