Louisville woman among those affected by invasive Apple FaceTime glitch

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A newly discovered bug in Apple's FaceTime software lets Apple users listen in on the people they are calling, and even see through their front-facing camera, without them picking-up the call.

Apple said in a statement Monday night that it has identified a fix for the problem, but the glitch has already been noticed by people across the country, including a woman in Louisville.

Crystal Olinger said she was on her computer while watching Netflix when a relative tried to FaceTime her. Olinger said she, her mother and her sisters regularly use the group Facetime feature.

"My Mac is connected to my iPhone, so she FaceTimed me, and I did not answer," Olinger said. "And then she started talking to me while I was on my computer."

Reports say the bug impacts the group FaceTime selection on the app on IOS software version 12.1 or later. It allows the person making a FaceTime call to hear the audio on the other end and at times access the front-facing camera even if the person they're contacting doesn't answer.

"It was scary," Olinger said. "I mean, it was super scary."

Videos revealing the glitch received millions of views online.

"It's a concern any time you can be eavesdropped on without your knowledge," said Scott Soeder, a former Apple employee. "You are potentially giving away information."

Soeder now works for a Louisville-based support company called Mac in a Snap.

"Apple as a company does concern themselves with people's privacy. That is an important part of their business," he said. "So i think they will be on this quick. We will see a patch very soon."

In fact, Apple said it's aware of the problem and an update with a fix will be released this week. In the meantime, here's how to disable FaceTime on your Apple device:

iPhone or iPad
- Open Settings
- Scroll down and select FaceTime
- Toggle off the green button at the top of the screen.
Mac
- Open the FaceTime app
- Go to FaceTime on top of the screen
- Select "Turn FaceTime Off."

Apple has temporarily disabled the group FaceTime feature, and despite the glitch, Olinger is just waiting on the fix. She said she'll FaceTime again.

"The reason I say yes is because no one ever FaceTimes me that I don't know," she said.

There are reports that a 14-year-old notified Apple about the FaceTime problem several days ago, and the company was slow to respond. It has some in the tech industry saying there needs to be better ways for average citizens to report security problems.

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