iPhone alert: Apple has disabled a huge iOS feature on your smartphone – Here's why

Apple revealed its new Group FaceTime feature at WWDC in June that allows users to take part in video calls with up to 32 people.

The function did not arrive with the initial rollout of iOS 12, instead debuting in iOS 12.1 the following month.

But yesterday a bug was discovered for the service that allowed users to listen to the microphone of another person they had called, even if they did not join the FaceTime chat.

Essentially, if a user makes a Group FaceTime call and adds another person, before the friend or family member has responded, the user is able to swipe up on the application and enter their own phone number.

After the user has added themselves, it appears the software assumes the chat has started and will then feed the audio from the requested user’s microphone to the call.

This means one user is able to listen to another even if the latter has not chosen to join the FaceTime interaction.

Moreover, it has also been shown if the person being called presses the volume or lock buttons on their device to ignore the notification, the FaceTime software will also show video from the recipient’s front-facing camera.

The Verge, 9to5Mac and MacRumours were all able to replicate the bug.

It is also worth noting the problem does not just exist amongst iPhones, but iPads and Mac computers too.

The emergence of the issue has prompted Apple to temporarily disable its Group FaceTime feature.

On its system status page, Apple has stated an “issue” with its video call service has led to the unavailability of Group FaceTime.

A spokesperson for the American tech giant declared a fix for the bug has been “identified” and will arrive “later this week”.

They said: “We’re aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week.”

Until Apple has released a fix for the problem, it is advisable iPhone users disable FaceTime.

It is currently unknown what has caused the bug or how long it has existed for.

source: express.co.uk