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Apple executive Craig Federighi demonstrating the Group FaceTime feature at WWDC 2018, Apple's keynote event.
- Apple was embarrassed on Data Privacy Day when a FaceTime glitch was discovered that allowed users to eavesdrop on the person they were calling, even before they answered.
- Apple has temporarily disabled FaceTime's group video chat feature in the meantime, and says it's planning to release a fix for the glitch "later this week."
- Although the core feature where the glitch was discovered has been disabled, you may still want to completely turn off FaceTime until the software fix is released.
- Here's how to completely disable FaceTime on your Apple devices.
A major bug discovered in Apple's group FaceTime feature has raised privacy concerns, with many calling on users to disable the app until the issue is fixed.
The glitch lets people listen in on the person they're calling on FaceTime, even before the user answers the call. A Twitter user posted a video demonstrating the bug to the social network on Monday and it quickly went viral, even drawing the attention of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who advised that people disable FaceTime until the issue is fixed.
Since the glitch was discovered, Apple has disabled group Facetime calls. The ability to FaceTime with more than one person was only first made available to Apple devices with an update in November. Apple says a fix "will be released in a software update later this week."
FaceTime video chat is available on iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. Although the feature where the bug was found has been disabled, you may still want to turn off FaceTime completely until the software update is released.
Here's how you can turn off FaceTime on both your iPhone and Mac.