Indore: Many Android and iOS device users are facing problems with WhatsApp after they deliberately tap on an eerie message, usually forwarded by their friends who want a quick laugh. The mysterious message includes a black dot that crashes WhatsApp and hangs the system.
Though it might seem a harmless prank, the message can block the system’s memory. Worried and frustrated by the prank, some Indoreans got together at a café in Vijay Nagar and talked about it during their monthly meet on Tuesday. Director of a pharmaceutical company and nutritionist Kavita Sabarwal said such messages are a waste of time.
“For somebody like me, who uses WhatsApp for business communications, it adds a worry about virus. If a simple black dot can hang my phone, then it is clear how easily one can transmit viruses through WhatsApp. There should be some security screening from the company’s team.”
College lecturer Dr Shyamli Chowdhury said such messages are fun for youngsters but they do not understand that these activities may be troublesome. For instance, such a message may trouble someone who is waiting for bank OTP. “These messages lure students who can spend their time doing something productive. The person who created the message is smart, but he/she could have utilised his/her brain to develop and design something useful. We need to have some security checks that hinder transfer of such messages,” she said.
Sharing her experience, human resource (HR) management student Divyata Sharma said, “Facebook is blocking the message, why can’t WhatsApp do it? A friend of mine sent this message to me while I was waiting for examination notes. My phone hung and I could have lost those important notes. Who benefits from this?”
Commerce student Aisha Chouhan said she finds such messages funny, but considering that it could be a virus is scary. “Also, I feel real-time pranks like teasing friends are funnier. WhatsApp messages give us that ‘oh’ feeling for a moment,” she said.
According to technology expert Deepak Dadhich it is a typical message bomb that’s causing the crash.
“Message bombs are specially crafted message with hidden symbols in between spaces. When you tap a portion of the text, the app will make the message ‘expand’ to show the hidden symbols that overloads the app and sometimes, even the operating system,” he told Free Press.
Free Press sent mail asking WhatsApp about the black dot and reasons for not banning it on their android information email (android_web@support.whatsapp.com). In response an email explaining usage of the app was reverted without giving any clarification. “The solutions to most issues can be found by searching our FAQ,” the email stated. Further, it said that most issues can be resolved “by downloading the latest version of WhatsApp and rebooting your phone.”