4 months ago
Google and WhatsApp person confirmed they are alert of a bug that makes it look arsenic if WhatsApp is accessing phones’ microphones unnecessarily connected immoderate Android devices. The rumor first cropped up a period ago, but gained caller attraction aft a Twitter technologist tweeted astir it successful a station that was boosted by Elon Musk.
An image shared by Twitter technologist Foad Dabiri appeared to show that nan microphone had been many times moving successful nan inheritance while he wasn’t utilizing nan app. He tweeted a screenshot from Android’s Privacy Dashboard, which tracks really often apps entree a device’s microphone and camera.
WhatsApp has been utilizing nan microphone successful nan background, while I was dormant and since I woke up astatine 6AM (and that's conscionable a portion of nan timeline!) What's going on? pic.twitter.com/pNIfe4VlHV
— Foad Dabiri (@foaddabiri) May 6, 2023Musk retweeted Dabiri’s post, saying “WhatsApp cannot beryllium trusted.” Incidentally, Musk is known to beryllium a instrumentality of Signal, and has said encrypted nonstop messages connected Twitter could roll out arsenic soon arsenic this month. The institution didn’t respond to a petition for comment.
In a connection shared connected Twitter, WhatsApp suggested it was an Android-related issue, and not a consequence of inappropriate microphone entree by nan messaging app “We judge this is simply a bug connected Android that mis-attributes accusation successful their Privacy Dashboard and person asked Google to analyse and remediate,” nan institution said.
Dabiri is not nan first to announcement nan issue. WhatsApp blog wabetainfo highlighted nan bug a period ago, describing it astatine nan clip arsenic “a mendacious positive” affecting owners of immoderate Pixel and Samsung devices. They added that restarting nan telephone whitethorn beryllium a imaginable fix. Meanwhile, Google has said small astir what could beryllium causing nan discrepancy, but confirmed it’s looking into nan matter. "We are alert of nan rumor and are moving intimately pinch WhatsApp to investigate,” a Google spokesperson said successful a statement.
