FaceTime Bug Lets Callers Spy on You Before You Pick Up

Apple is scrambling to fix a major FaceTime bug that allows callers to receive audio and video from the person they are calling before the person even accepts or rejects the call.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a consumer alert warning on the bug Monday night.

"This FaceTime bug is an egregious breach of privacy that puts New Yorkers at risk," he said. "In New York, we take consumer rights very seriously and I am deeply concerned by this irresponsible bug that can be exploited for unscrupulous purposes."

Apple took its group FaceTime feature offline Monday night to address the issue.

"We’re aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week," an Apple spokesperson told the Verge.

According to 9to5Mac, the bug works like this:

• The caller dials another person and then swipes up on their phone and inserts their own phone number on the "Add Person" screen before the recipient picks up.
• A group FaceTime call then begins and the caller can hear the audio from the recipient even if they haven't accepted the call yet.
• If the recipient presses the power button from their lock screen while their phone is ringing, the phone not only sends audio, but also video to the caller.

Cuomo urged New Yorkers to disable FaceTime until Apple issues a fix. On an iPhone, this can be done by going to settings, opening FaceTime and then toggling the first setting to off.

Main image via Shutterstock