If someone sends me a text with a number in it and I open it, can they access my phone

[Android Central Question]

I received a text with a phone number in it. Since this time, my phone is acting strange. Can someone access my phone by putting a number in a text?

 

[SpookDroid]

Not really. It'd need a downloaded file for that. What MIGHT happen is if they send you a service code and you tap it and that opens on the dialer. These don't grant them access, but in some cases might trigger actions like a test menu or even a factory rest. These codes are usually blocked from auto-triggering themselves (unless you manually type them into the dialer, they won't work), but if your carrier/manufacturer tinkered with the dialer this might be possible.