The latest update to the iOS 18 operating system has revealed a bug that occurs when sharing Apple Watch watch faces. The Messages app keeps crashing when replying to a watch face in a shared message thread.
Image Source: 9to5mac.com
The resource 9to5Mac figured out the problem. The bug is that if an iOS 18 user replies to an Apple Watch watch face sent to them in a message thread (within a separate message), the Messages app will start to crash. This will happen for both the sender of the watch face and the recipient. At the same time, it will also become impossible to respond to messages in other chats due to application failures.
The only temporary solution is to delete all correspondence with the user who sent the watch face. However, this will result in the permanent loss of your entire message history, including photos, videos and other attachments that were not saved separately. An attempt to restore deleted correspondence from the “Recently Deleted” section will again lead to an error.
«Apple will likely release a fix in upcoming updates to iOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, and beta versions of its software. – suggested 9to5Mac. “In the meantime, until the update is released, it is recommended that you refrain from replying to sent Apple Watch watch faces in message threads to avoid data loss.” It’s possible that restoring from a backup will help you recover lost information, but using iCloud’s Messages feature may render this method ineffective.
It is noted that with the release of watchOS 11 updates, the likelihood of encountering this bug increases, as users will be more active in sharing their customized watch faces and discussing them in Messages.