- Apple was embarrassed on Data Privacy Day when a FaceTime glitch was discovered that allowed users to eavesdrop on the person they were calling before the person answered.
- Apple says it has temporarily disabled FaceTime’s group video chat feature and is planning to release a fix for the glitch “later this week.”
- Though the core feature where the glitch was discovered has been disabled, you may still want to turn off FaceTime altogether until the software fix is released.
- Here’s how to 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 before the user answers the call. A Twitter user posted a video to the social network on Monday demonstrating the bug, and it quickly went viral, even drawing the attention of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who advised that people disable FaceTime until the issue could be fixed.
Since the glitch was discovered, Apple has disabled group FaceTime calls. The ability to FaceTime with more than one person was 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. Though the feature where the bug was found has been disabled, you may still want to turn off FaceTime altogether until the software update is released.
Here's how you can turn off FaceTime on both your iPhone and Mac.
If you're curious what the problem was, here's the FaceTime glitch in action.
Now you can answer for yourself on FaceTime even if they don’t answer🤒#Apple explain this.. pic.twitter.com/gr8llRKZxJ
— DEAD FRIENDS™ (@DeadFriendsCHI) January 28, 2019
In the Settings app, scroll down to FaceTime.
The FaceTime tab will show you every number and email that can be reached via FaceTime. For most, that'll be your phone number, the email associated with your Apple ID, and your iCloud email. To turn off FaceTime on all devices, all you have to do is toggle the button to switch it off.
Toggling FaceTime off will disable the video calling feature on all your Apple devices, and you'll be unable to place or receive any FaceTime calls.
Turning off FaceTime on your iPhone should disable the feature, but it's a good idea to manually turn it off on your Mac if you also use FaceTime there. First, open the FaceTime app.
Locate "FaceTime" in the menu bar, found in the upper-left corner of the screen. Select "Turn FaceTime Off."
