PlayStation 4 players can breathe a sigh of relief as a fix has been deployed for a bug in the private message system that can reportedly “brick” consoles. An official representative of PlayStation has not only announced a fix for the bug, but also offered a solution to players affected by it. If you’re experiencing the bug, we have the details on how to get your PS4 back in working order.
The fix was announced by a representative on the official Ask PlayStation UK Twitter on October 15, 2018. According to the official, it would seem that if your console wasn’t hit by the bug, it should be safe now as of the fix today. However, for those affected there is a solution as well. The representative goes on to explain how to fix affected consoles.
We've since fixed the issue, and it wasn't bricking consoles, just sending them into a crash loop that can be quickly fixed in under 5 minutes. Delete the message on the PS mobile app, go into Safe Mode, use Option 5, console back to normal. ^DB
— Ask PlayStation UK (@AskPS_UK) October 15, 2018
By using the PlayStation mobile app, which can be obtained on iTunes or Google Play, players can go into their system and delete the message that is affecting their PS4. Then, by putting the PlayStation 4 in Safe Mode, players can go in and access an Option 5. This will allow players to avoid a hard reset on their PS4 systems that could cost them all local data. Sony has yet to release a firmware update that should seemingly entirely eliminate the bug on consoles, but if the bug has truly been fixed, then unaffected consoles may be safe.
It was apparently not “bricking” consoles as often cited by players, but rather causing a crashing loop that the PlayStation 4 could not come out of. With the use of the app outside the system, it seems this is the only way to break the loop. Fortunately the app is free and fairly easy to use, but hopefully Sony will release an update soon that eliminates this bug altogether.
We’ll update as further information becomes available on this matter.
