iPhone users warned over prank site that crashes phone
Link to crashsafari website causes smartphones to reboot and computers to slow
Pranksters have been sharing a link to a website that crashes iPhones and computers using Safari.
When users try to open the not-too-subtly named crashsafari.co, the link "overloads the default browser with a self-generating text string which populates the address bar," explains The Guardian.
It causes an iPhone using Safari to reboot within 20 seconds, drains the battery and makes the console heat up significantly as the phone tries in vain to handle the very long and complex code.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Once rebooted, the phone performs as normal.
Other iOS devices such as the iPad can also fall victim to the website, while Android phones will go sluggish and heat up noticeably, too.
The affect it has on computers depends on how powerful they are. It can crash a Mac running Safari but makes PCs running other browsers such as Chrome slow down.
According to Wired, crashsafari was put on the internet by Matthew Bryant, 22, a San Francisco-based developer working in app security.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"In my spare time, I often test how browsers will handle odd code that gets thrown at them," he told them.
Bryant stumbled across the crashing potential of the code from his independent work and hosted it online as "purely a joke."
Since then, it has spread like wildfire across social media websites.
In order to bait people into clicking, users are circumventing the site's giveaway name by using URL shorteners, combined with misleading information as to what lies in store if the link is opened.
It's not the first time the iPhone in particular has been prone to a crashing glitch exploited by pranksters. Last year, the "effective power" bug had the power to reset phones and could be sent via a text message.
"It was even more malicious than crashsafari, as anyone who opened a message containing the special code suffered from constant iPhone reboots," says The Telegraph.
"iPhone users in particular should be careful about clicking on unknown links for the near future," they add.
-
The UK-made Storm Shadow missiles Ukraine is using in RussiaThe Explainer Ukraine reportedly deployed the long-range British missiles this week, following a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump
-
Dry skin, begone! 8 products to keep your skin supple while travelingThe Week Recommends Say goodbye to dry and hello to hydration
-
Crossword: October 23, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
iPhone Air: Thinness comes at a high priceFeature Apple’s new iPhone is its thinnest yet but is it worth the higher price and weaker battery life?
-
How will the introduction of AI change Apple's iPhone?Today's Big Question 'Apple Intelligence' is set to be introduced on the iPhone 16 as part of iOS 18
-
Apple Intelligence: iPhone maker set to overhaul the AI experienceIn the Spotlight A 'top-to-bottom makeover of the iPhone' sees the tech giant try to win the consumer AI game
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suitSpeed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
-
Why is a tiny change to the iPhone's charger such a big deal?Today's Big Question A change to comply with EU regulations could have global ramifications
-
iPhone 14: are Apple launch events losing their lustre?Speed Read Social media users have ‘poked fun’ at tech giant’s latest event amid talk of ‘upgrade fatigue’
-
Why Covid is threatening the world’s supply of iPhonesfeature Chinese authorities working with key companies to resume production
-
Lloyd vs. Google: what blocking of £3.2bn lawsuit means for tech usersIn the Spotlight Supreme Court judgment described as ‘a dark day when corporate greed is valued over our right to privacy’