On Mac/Apple hardware, the keyboard has a special key called Option (⌥ symbol) which serves as a modifier to the other keys, in order to enter certain special characters not found on the keyboard. This key combination can then be diverted to write a message by pressing the option key in order to write a coded message.

The key is sometimes called Alt by mistake.

For Apple/Macintosh keyboard owners, pressing the Option key before entering the plain letter encodes the encrypted letter.

For other Windows/Linux/Android users, then here is the correspondence table:

Example: Option is coded Øπ†ˆø˜

Note that e and E, as well as i and I, n and N and u and U encode the same characters.

The decryption of the Option key passes by a substitution of each special symbol by the key corresponding to it.

Example: Âåç is translated Mac

It is not possible to automatically predict whether ´, ˆ, ˜ and ¨ encode an uppercase or a lowercase letter.

The message consists mainly of the symbols Åıçî´ï˝óˆôòâ˜ø∏œ‰íˇ¨◊„˛á¸ and å∫ç∂´ƒ©˙ˆ∆˚¬µ˜øπœ®ß†¨√∑≈¥ω

All references to Mac, MacOS, Macintosh, Apple (Steve Jobs) and its products iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc. are clues.

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