Apple Bug Prevents You From Telling People About Dave & Buster's

[MacRumors]

There's an issue with the Messages app that prevents users from sending voice-based messages that include ampersands, resulting in a curious bug that means you can't use audio messages to tell your friends about Dave & Buster's, H&M, Tiffany & Co., or any other similar proper name.

The bug was first highlighted on the Search Engine podcast, and then further investigated by app developer Guilherme Rambo. Basically, if you try to send someone an audio message in the Messages app that includes the phrase "Dave and Buster's," it won't go through.

After you send the message, it'll show on your own iPhone, and the person on the other end will see three dots as if you're typing something. The message ultimately just disappears after a few seconds, never showing up for the person that you're speaking to. It was Dave & Buster's that led to the bug being discovered, but it in fact impacts any company with an ampersand in the name.

As it turns out, the problem isn't with the audio message itself, but with the transcript that accompanies any audio message that you send. Apple's transcription engine understands proper company names like H&M or Dave & Buster's, displaying them with an ampersand rather than the word "and," so when you send someone a voice message saying something like "Do you want to go to Dave & Buster's?" the transcript is rendered just like that, with the proper name.

It's the ampersand symbol that's causing an issue, because Apple's transcription engine isn't rendering the ampersand XHTML correctly, causing a parsing error on the device of the person receiving the message. The parsing error triggers Apple's BlastDoor Messages feature that protects users from malicious messages that might rely on problematic parsing, so ultimately, the audio message fails to send.

Rambo goes into more detail about the root of the issue, and the original Search Engine podcast also has more on the bug, so check those out if you want to hear more about Apple's minor error that's nixing any audio message with an ampersand.

Article Link: Apple Bug Prevents You From Telling People About Dave & Buster's

 

[DHagan4755]

I'd go on & on about this & apparently I can't.

 

[Johnny907]

Sounds more like a feature than a bug, personally.

 

[hirshnoc]

This is like The Onion: MacRumors Edition

 

[Lizzard899]

Also in ios 18.5 Messages app showing incorrect number of deleted texts. Manually deleted 4 texts and under recently deleted it says theres only 1 deleted text so Im like oh I deleted 1 text not 4 but when I go back in the inbox theres 0 texts it should say 4 deleted texts not 1 right? It was a group text.

 

[bmark]

This is the final straw I'm switching to Android! Says no one ever

 

[Dave-Z]

Apple's transcription engine isn't rendering the ampersand XHTML correctly, causing a parsing error on the device of the person receiving the message.

I know this isn't exactly a big deal, but honestly, this is kind of a rookie mistake.

The parsing error triggers Apple's BlastDoor Messages feature that protects users from malicious messages that might rely on problematic parsing

At least we know that part is working.

 

[kda2495]

Also there's a scratch sound when you listen voice message in WhatsApp via your ear (turn phone to your ear and listen) and down volume to 0. You will hear a scratch sound at the lowest level of volume. iOS 18.5. Hope, that Apple will see this and fix.

 

[tennisproha]

This is actually interesting. Didn't know Apple have a malware scanner built into iMessage.

 

[orbital~debris]

Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!

 

[dcp10]

That might explain why nobody showed up to my S&M party last weekend 🤔

 

[EightyEight]

Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!

I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.

 

[hushblade]

AT&T has a vested interest in getting this bug fixed.

 

[centauratlas]

There is a different bug in messages where for some text if you paste it in, it sends but then fails and vanishes. Sometimes messages crashes.

 

[fmillion]

I can't count how many times weird HTML issues almost exactly like this one have messed with my code. Forgetting to change "&" to "&amp;" can wreak all sorts of weird havoc. (Also forgetting to change < into &lt; and > into &gt; will give you nightmares.)

I cant decide whether it's comforting to know that Apple system devs make the same mistakes we all do, or whether it's concerning that Apple apparently didn't include these kinds of situations in their QA testing...

 

[klasma]

I can't count how many times weird HTML issues almost exactly like this one have messed with my code. Forgetting to change "&" to "&amp;" can wreak all sorts of weird havoc. (Also forgetting to change < into &lt; and > into &gt; will give you nightmares.)

I cant decide whether it's comforting to know that Apple system devs make the same mistakes we all do, or whether it's concerning that Apple apparently didn't include these kinds of situations in their QA testing...

This isn’t a “weird HTML issue”. It’s a programmer’s responsibility to know when they are handling verbatim text vs HTML markup. These are different data formats, you can’t just mix them without proper conversion.

 

[HMI]

How about AT&T?

 

[Dave-Z]

This isn’t a “weird HTML issue”. It’s a programmer’s responsibility to know when they are handling verbatim text vs HTML markup. These are different data formats, you can’t just mix them without proper conversion.

Taking that a step further, this type of issue is very easy to avoid with proper unit tests.

 

[DrJR]

well….now i know why my whole afternoon was ruined. I upgraded. I had coordinated my team lunch at Wild Wings. well, we had to change restaurants and i audiotext “Dave and Busters” 13.5 times. Nobody made it. Worse, I had to buy my own lunch.

 

[Lizzard899]

There is a different bug in messages where for some text if you paste it in, it sends but then fails and vanishes. Sometimes messages crashes.

Wow I didnt know this. Good to know. Im always cutting and pasting texts to send to ppl. Good thing I did it in 18.4.1 not 18.5. Messages app has been a mess since 18.2 For example when u manually delete texts they arent always deleted on the servers end. Cuz I would notice my icloud would decrease on its own and I talked to apple one time they said yeah cuz your deleted texts delete from the server end after 4 days once u manually delete them. Well it wasnt doing this and hasnt been since 18.2 So thats another glitch. The other glitch that showed up today in 18.5 was that when you go to delete texts and you go under recently deleted the number of texts you delete isn't correct. I deleted a group text today there were 4 texts and under recently deleted it said there were only 1 text so I went back to my inbox and it said inbox was empty so I was like dang its showing the wrong number of texts I deleted

 

[SeaFox]

How about AT&T?

I've seen so many people who just type "ATT" in online messaging because they are too lazy to get the ampersand symbol on their keyboard. I'm convinced this is also why Wal-Mart changed their name to "Walmart" years ago, too.

 

[ScooterComputer]

There is a different bug in messages where for some text if you paste it in, it sends but then fails and vanishes. Sometimes messages crashes.

Well THAT would explain some things recently! Tim Apple trying to make me think I’m going crazy 😒.

 

[urnotl33t]

Wow I didnt know this. Good to know. Im always cutting and pasting texts to send to ppl. Good thing I did it in 18.4.1 not 18.5. Messages app has been a mess since 18.2 For example when u manually delete texts they arent always deleted on the servers end. Cuz I would notice my icloud would decrease on its own and I talked to apple one time they said yeah cuz your deleted texts delete from the server end after 4 days once u manually delete them. Well it wasnt doing this and hasnt been since 18.2 So thats another glitch. The other glitch that showed up today in 18.5 was that when you go to delete texts and you go under recently deleted the number of texts you delete isn't correct. I deleted a group text today there were 4 texts and under recently deleted it said there were only 1 text so I went back to my inbox and it said inbox was empty so I was like dang its showing the wrong number of texts I deleted

Ugh. Crap like this is why I “upgrade” (“side-grade”?) less and less. I just don’t trust or believe anything anyone says anymore about their “new” crap. Apple pre-iOS 7 was rather good about solid upgrades. Ever since iOS 7, it’s been one train wreck after another. Except for iOS 12, briefly. After that, it was back to the regularly-scheduled train wreck, already in progress.

Solid hardware, minus a few blemishes here and there (ok, that one F-up with the unfixable CPU vulnerability was bad), but still great overall. Software, not so much.

 

[Gasu E.]

We need more bugs like this.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

That might explain why nobody showed up to my S&M party last weekend 🤔

Or my M&Ms party