A photo showing a sunset has gone viral online because when it is set as a wallpaper, some reported that their smartphones were softbricked. It appears that the photo comes with an improperly coded Google color profile. Because of this and due to out of bounds error, the Android System UI crashes.
The alarming issue was shared on Twitter by industry insider Ice Universe. The reputable tipster uploaded a tweet showing the image that causing multiple android smartphones to brick. For the uninitiated, when a device is rendered softbrick, it means that it could not be used in any way.
However, unlike bricked smartphones, softbricks could be easily repaired. Should the technician or the owner identify the bug that causes the issue, it can be deleted or removed, and the android smartphone could be fixed by simply resetting it. In the tweet, Ice Universe cautioned android smartphone owners, especially Samsung mobile phone users, not to set the picture as a wallpaper.
The industry insider added that if the image is set as a wallpaper, it causes the device to crash. Ice Universe further said not to try using it, or if someone sends a picture, just ignore it. Unfortunately, it appears that the picture is causing havoc not only on Samsung smartphones but also in some other brands running on Android.
But, some Twitter users pointed out that their android smartphones are not affected by this issue. For instance, one user said that when the image was set as a wallpaper on a OnePlus smartphone, it does not have the same effect at all. At this point, it is not yet clear what this image could do to the system.
WARNING！！！
Never set this picture as wallpaper, especially for Samsung mobile phone users!
It will cause your phone to crash!
Don't try it!
If someone sends you this picture, please ignore it. pic.twitter.com/rVbozJdhkL — Ice universe (@UniverseIce) May 31, 2020
However, it is worth noting that it causes problems, and those who would like to avoid such should not try to set the image as their smartphones' wallpaper. In a recent report released by 9to5Google, it revealed that the same issue could be observed on the Google Pixel 3 XL on Android 10. Interestingly, the issue is not applicable to the Google Pixel 4 XL, the report said.
The site also shared that the issue has something to do with the color space of the image. Android shows images in sRGB, while the 'cursed' image uses RGB color space. It is possible that the issue is not applicable in Android 11 because the latest OS converts the color space while Android 10 does not, the site added.
It looks like the image is not the real issue but the color space format. In other words, aside from this image, other pictures with the same color space format could also softbrick Android smartphones.
