A FaceTime bug uncovered early last week let users listen in on anyone using the service.
The glitch, which let folk with bad intentions listen in on the audio by turning the call into a group FaceTime call and then adding their own number, was a little embarrassing for Apple, but the software giant claimed a fix was on the cards sometime last week.
However that fix has now been delayed, and Apple are saying that instead the resolution should be coming this week. 9to5Mac received a full statement from Apple apologising for their tardiness with the fix, and revealing that the fix will come this week, instead.
“We have fixed the Group FaceTime security bug on Apple’s servers and we will issue a software update to re-enable the feature for users next week,” says the statement. “We sincerely apologize to our customers who were affected and all who were concerned about this security issue. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this process.”
In addition to thanking the family who reported the bug, Apple acknowledged that they are committed to improving the process by which they receive and escalate bug reports. This is in response to criticism they’ve received for the way in which they’ve handled this specific bug, which was reported by a family that weren’t particularly technical, who were then asked to create an Apple developer account to flag up a bug report that way.
“We are committed to improving the process by which we receive and escalate these reports, in order to get them to the right people as fast as possible,” adds Apple.
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“We take the security of our products extremely seriously and we are committed to continuing to earn the trust Apple customers place in us.”
In the meantime, group FaceTime calls are disabled.
Missed a family group FaceTime because of the downtime? Miss getting the squad together for a weekend debrief? Let us know on Twitter at @TrustedReviews
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
