Don't Try It: This Wallpaper Can Actually Break Down Your Android Phone

Here’s a bug you don’t see every day: setting a simple picture as the wallpaper on an Android phone can actually break down the device, pushing it to an infinite reboot loop that eventually requires a full restore.

The image was shared on Twitter by mobile leakster Ice Universe, who explained that the wallpaper bug affects Samsung phones. However, it looks like other models could also be bricked too, including here Google Pixels and devices from other brands.

At this point, it all seems to be related to the color profile that the image uses and which Android fails to read correctly, eventually experiencing a fatal crash and causing the device to reboot. It’s not yet clear why some are affected, and others are not, however.

Interestingly enough, the bug isn’t new but has until now remained largely undiscovered.

Bug reported two years ago

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