A major FaceTime glitch has forced Apple to disable the FaceTime Group Chat feature on the popular app while the company works to fix a major security bug that allows users to listen in on people they've dialed - even if the person doesn't pick up the phone.
Video of how to trigger the bug went viral on Twitter Monday after 9to5Mac posted the steps on how to do it online. Users began to chime in with their own ways to listen in on people, adding that it was also possible to obtain video from the person being called.
To activate the bug, iPhone users simply have to initiate a FaceTime call with one of their iPhone contacts. As the phone is dialing, users can swipe up and click "Add Person." Then, by typing your own phone number, that tricks FaceTime into thinking a group chat has been initiated, allowing the caller to pick up the live audio from the person's phone they're dialing - even if that person doesn't answer the call.
If the recipient clicks the power or volume buttons to decline the call, their device will begin sending audio and video from the phone's front facing camera.
All of this happens without the recipient knowing anything is happening. No notifications or alerts pop up to let them know audio is being fed down the line to the person calling them.
In a statement, Apple said that their engineering teams were aware of the issue and have "identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week."
An update posted to Apple's website Tuesday confirmed that Group FaceTime is unavailable after the company disabled the feature for all users.
If you're still concerned about your privacy, iPhone users can go into their phone's settings and disable FaceTime. You can do this by opening Settings --> Tap FaceTime --> and then hit the toggle button, which turns the feature off.
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