WhatsApp bug causing some Android devices to falsely report microphone access

NEW DELHI: Meta-owned WhatsApp and Google have acknowledged a bug that allows WhatsApp to unnecessarily access the phone’s microphone on some Android devices.

The issue first surfaced a month ago, but received renewed attention after a Twitter engineer mentioned it in a post boosted by Elon Musk, Engadget reports.

Twitter engineer Phod Dabiri recently shared a picture that raised concerns about the app’s privacy practices. The image appeared to show that the app’s microphone was continuously running in the background when not in use. ,Also read: Google I / O 2023: These products will be screened at the event today,

Dabiri tweeted a screenshot from the privacy dashboard on his Android device, which showed how many times the app accessed his microphone and camera. ,Also Read: Realme 11 Pro+ 5G to launch in India soon: Check price, specifications and more,

He tweeted, “WhatsApp was using the microphone in the background while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6am (and this is a part of the timeline!) What’s going on?” Later, Musk retweeted Dabiri’s post, saying “WhatsApp cannot be trusted”. ,Also read: Google I / O 2023: These products will be screened at the event today,

According to a statement shared by WhatsApp on Twitter, the problem was caused by an Android-related issue rather than improper microphone access by the messaging app.

“We believe this is a bug on Android that misrepresents information in its privacy dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and fix,” the company said.