Apple has temporarily disabled Group FaceTime while it works to release a permanent fix.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports this is coming after a bug with major privacy implications was discovered in Apple’s implementation of the feature.
The bug allows an iPhone user placing a call using Apple’s FaceTime video calling feature to hear audio from the recipient’s phone even if the recipient has not yet picked up the call.
The Apple FaceTime bug was first revealed late-Monday, when an unofficial Apple blog reported on the matter and it soon went viral because of its significant ramifications.
The iPhone maker soon released a statement saying it had identified a fix and the same will be released over a software update later this week.
“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 said in a statement.
The Cupertino-based company has updated its system status website to notify that the Group FaceTime is currently unavailable.
It is unclear how long Apple plans to keep the Group FaceTime offline, but it is quite possible that Apple users will be able to use Group FaceTime again only after the company’s patch for the bug is released publicly.
Apple originally announced Group FaceTime last summer and the feature finally made its way to the public in late-October as a part of iOS 12.1.
One-on-one FaceTime calls are still working and doesn’t seem to be affected by the bug.