Apple rushes to fix FaceTime glitch

Apple has made the group functionality on its FaceTime application temporarily unavailable as it rushes to fix a glitch that allowed users to listen in on the people they were calling when they did not pick up the call. Under certain circumstances, the glitch also allowed callers to see a video of the person they were calling before they picked up.

The flaw, first revealed by the 9to5Mac blog, appears to occur when both users are running version 12.1 of Apple's mobile operating system, or newer.

The technique involves using the software's group chat function, apparently confusing the software into activating the target's microphone, even if the call had not been accepted.

The flaw was discovered amid increasing concern over privacy by regulators around the globe and – embarrassingly for Apple – was exposed on Data Privacy Day, a global event instituted by the Council of Europe in 2007 to raise awareness among businesses and consumers about the importance of protecting privacy.

Just hours before the bug was first revealed to the public, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive had tweeted that “the dangers are real and the consequences are too important” to not institute “vital privacy protections”.

Also, the bug was discovered the day before Apple’s quarterly results call, already expected to be a fraught affair due to the company’s unprecedented decision to slash its revenue forecast by at least $5bn (£3.8bn).

Cook blamed a slowdown in China for the reduction in earnings and cited a battery replacement programme, foreign exchange fluctuations, and the end of carrier subsidies for new phones as compounding factors.

Apple has attempted to distinguish itself from rival technology companies such as Google and Facebook by boasting about its privacy record.

Apple’s next software update, expected to be iOS 12.2, will be released later this week, the company says and will contain a permanent fix.

Even then, it is not clear whether, or how, Apple will extend that protection to users who don’t update their phones to the latest operating system, either because they can’t, won’t, or don’t know how to.