Apple has just disabled the group calling feature within the FaceTime calling service while it’s working on a patch to fix the latest bug that allows eavesdropping.
Apple’s status page shows that the group calling via FaceTime is “temporarily unavailable.”
Disabling the feature
TechCrunch writes that this is just something temporary while the company will deliver a “more permanent fix” to the problem by the end of this week.
The online tech magazine reported that they have not been able to set up a group call when they tried doing so.
This fix means that users will not have to completely disable FaceTime because of this nasty bug, but on the other hand, it will not exactly come as a surprise if some users will make this decision and be hesitant to switch the app on again.
The flaw seems to become activated when a user initiates a group call but adds themselves as a participant, notes TechCrunch.
“The bug relies on what appears to be a nasty logic screwup in FaceTime’s group call system. While we’re opting to not outline the steps here, the bug seems to trick the recipient’s phone into thinking a group call is already ongoing. A few quick taps and FaceTime immediately trips over itself and inexplicably fires up the recipient’s microphone without them accepting the call,” they write.
Apple addressed the issue
It seems that Apple addressed this issue and said that they plan to issue a more permanent solution shortly.
“We’re aware of this issue, and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week,” a spokesperson said.
This bug doesn’t bring any favors for Apple which has been slammed for quite a while because it used to highlight the efforts that they’re making towards flawless and complete privacy of its products and services.
You probably also remember the banner that they kept flaunting at CES which said: “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.”
Apple posted a massive ad on the side of a hotel that overlooked the Las Vegas Convention Center where Google and Amazon had a significant presence at the CES 2019.
After finishing Theatrical Journalism at the Faculty of Theatre and Television in Cluj-Napoca, Rada reviewed movies, books, theatre pieces and she also wrote articles from the IT niche as a content editor for software producers. At the moment, she is working with various online advertising firms.
