An embarrassing bug found on the iPhone through the device’s FaceTime app allows users to listen to other iPhone users conversations without their consent. Simply put, an iPhone user can call another iPhone user and listen in on that person’s conversations through the device’s microphone — even if the recipient does not answer the call.
The bug first came to the fore in a report on 9to5Mac, which covers news on Apple products. Twitter and other social networks caught on and the issue went viral.
The bug was found in FaceTime, which allows iPhone users to place video and audio calls over the internet. The bug also gives a caller access to a live feed of a recipient’s camera.
Apple said on Monday that it had disabled FaceTime while it worked to fix the problem. “We’re aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week,” the company said in a statement.
The bug is an embarrassment for Apple, which on Tuesday reported disappointing earnings.
Government officials were quick to warn Americans of the bug, and slammed Apple for not noticing it. “The FaceTime bug is an egregious breach of privacy that puts New Yorkers at risk,” said New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
iPhone owners are encouraged to go into their phone’s settings and disable FaceTime until Apple announces a fix.
Apple today posted a quarterly decline in both revenue and profit the first time in more than a decade for the December quarter, which underlined the company’s challenge to rekindle slowing iPhone sales and depend more on services for growth, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The company has ceded its position as the world’s most valuable company to both Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in recent weeks.
Tags: apple, Bug, FaceTime, iPhone
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