Apple disables Group FaceTime as it works on privacy bug fix
After the discovery of a bug in FaceTime that allows callers to listen in on a recipient's device, even if they don't pick up, Apple late Monday notified users that the service has been temporarily disabled.
Apple's System Status webpage shows Group FaceTime as unavailable.
Apple quietly announced the takedown on its System Status webpage, which as of this writing shows Group FaceTime as unavailable due to an "ongoing issue." The company does not offer a timeline on a resolution, though a fix to the underlying flaw is in the works.
Earlier today, reports of a particularly nasty FaceTime bug surfaced on social media.
First documented by Benji Mobb on Twitter, anyone can activate the glitch by calling another FaceTime user and manually adding the originating number to the call as a third party. Once added, access to the recipient's microphone is granted even if they do not answer the call.
Through further experimentation it was discovered that camera access is also granted -- however briefly -- when a recipient presses iPhone's power or volume buttons to decline the incoming call.
AppleInsider confirmed the exploit works on current iPhone and Mac devices, including the latest iPhone XS and XR models.
Considering the ramifications of allowing interlopers easy access to microphone and camera hardware, and Apple's staunch commitment consumer privacy, the Group FaceTime takedown does not come as a surprise.
Apple in a statement to media outlets said it is aware of the problem and is working on a fix that should be released later this week. Group FaceTime will presumably be inaccessible until the update is pushed out.
While the service shutdown should solve the issue in the interim, concerned users can disable FaceTime on their devices by navigating to Settings > FaceTime and toggling the FaceTime button to the off position.
Apple's System Status webpage shows Group FaceTime as unavailable.
Apple quietly announced the takedown on its System Status webpage, which as of this writing shows Group FaceTime as unavailable due to an "ongoing issue." The company does not offer a timeline on a resolution, though a fix to the underlying flaw is in the works.
Earlier today, reports of a particularly nasty FaceTime bug surfaced on social media.
First documented by Benji Mobb on Twitter, anyone can activate the glitch by calling another FaceTime user and manually adding the originating number to the call as a third party. Once added, access to the recipient's microphone is granted even if they do not answer the call.
Through further experimentation it was discovered that camera access is also granted -- however briefly -- when a recipient presses iPhone's power or volume buttons to decline the incoming call.
AppleInsider confirmed the exploit works on current iPhone and Mac devices, including the latest iPhone XS and XR models.
Considering the ramifications of allowing interlopers easy access to microphone and camera hardware, and Apple's staunch commitment consumer privacy, the Group FaceTime takedown does not come as a surprise.
Apple in a statement to media outlets said it is aware of the problem and is working on a fix that should be released later this week. Group FaceTime will presumably be inaccessible until the update is pushed out.
While the service shutdown should solve the issue in the interim, concerned users can disable FaceTime on their devices by navigating to Settings > FaceTime and toggling the FaceTime button to the off position.
Comments
"I always feel like somebody’s watching me
And I have no privacy
I always feel like somebody’s watching me
I can't enjoy my tea
I always feel like somebody’s watching me
Can I have my privacy?
I always feel like somebody’s watching me
Who's watching me?"
This bug should be easy to fix though... good thing the feature is disabled in the meantime.
Queue lawsuits... because this is is ambulance chasing America.
I'm sure they are lining up to hear your opinion. Tim Cook has made Apple hundreds of billions of dollars. There is no "collapsing quality." WTF are you talking about? Isolated product issues? And, terrible pricing strategies? Again, WTF are you talking about?
It's a significant bug, but who would have thought to test adding someone to a call before the first person answered? Group facetime is a relatively new feature, so it's perhaps not so surprising that there are bugs. Good for Apple for disabling it so quickly
Yes, this is a BAD bug, no question about it, and it's one that will haunt them for a while, and should've been caught during development, especially considering how long Group FaceTime was delayed for.
But in the end, Apple quickly acknowledged it, and even went as far as to shut down the offending system to prevent this from becoming an actual issue.
And yet now we have calls all over the Internet to have Tim Cook and Jonathan Ive's head's on the proverbial silver platters over this, what idiotic BS!
How many other MASSIVE privacy snafus and monumental bugs made their way into MS and Google products over the years, some of which remain to this day (Stagefight ring a bell?), yet no one calls for those engineers or CEO's heads?
It shouldn't have mattered if this particular test was written or not, good engineering practice should have ensured that the mic or camera could _never_ be enabled without active users permission (in this case answering the call).
There is no escaping that Apple''s SW problems are not (only) a QA issue, but is based in sloppy developer habits and poor management (not necessarily on top but at least on team level).
And, by the way; disabling a complete service is not actually disabling a bug. In that case I have a nice, guaranteed 100% completely bug free app for you to buy here...
The minor flaw in your reasoning lies in the rather obvious fact that for the majority of users, the microphone is ALWAYS ON, with the user's permission. (Hey, Siri, anyone?)
Which switches the issue from simply "enabling" the microphone to under what circumstances is the data stream routed. Further, I'd suspect preliminary streams for video and audio are being setup between all of the participants while the call is being initiated in order to enable "instant" communication and high QOS once the call is actually accepted by all of the parties involved.
So was it "sloppy" engineering or an emergent, unexpected behavior among quite a few highly complex systems?
But hey, let's go with the armchair engineer's solution, especially since it fits so nicely with their preconceptions.