Apple has disabled FaceTime group calls following a social media storm after users revealed a serious bug which lets callers hear the recipient before they pick up.
Reports of a nasty FaceTime bug, that activates the devices’ microphones while the call is still ringing, surfaced on social media on Monday. In some cases the caller even gets access to the other person’s camera which begins broadcasting in real time.
It happens when a person who is receiving a call presses the power button on a side of an iPhone – something that is typically done to silence or ignore an incoming call.
Following the heated discussion on a potentially disastrous bug, Apple took down its Group FaceTime calls. The company’s System Status web page indicated the service was unavailable due to an “issue.” Apple plans to release a software update to fix the bug “later this week”, an Apple spokesperson told Reuters.