Apple FaceTime Bug Lets You Listen in on People You Call, Even if They Haven’t Picked up Their iPhone

By Todd Haselton | 28 January 2019

• A bug in FaceTime lets you listen in to the audio if you try to call someone — even if they don’t pick up.
• You first video call someone then try to add yourself to the group call.
• The FaceTime bug seems to be a huge privacy problem.

CNBC — There’s a FaceTime bug that lets you hear through someone else’s iPhone, even if they haven’t answered your phone call. It was previously reported on Twitter by user Benji Mobb and covered by 9to5Mac.

CNBC tested it and verified that it’s a real bug. I tried placing a video call to my editor from my iPhone using Apple’s FaceTime app. Then, before he picked up, I used the menu option to add somebody else to the call and, as 9to5Mac’s directions state, I added myself to the call. Suddenly, I could hear my editor, even though he never picked up. We continued having a conversation while his phone only gave him the option to answer. There was no indication that the call had already gone through.