After a privacy issue involving access to the microphone was reported last month, Google acknowledges the bug and urges WhatsApp users to update.
Google sent out a tweet on June 21st urging Android users to update their WhatsApp app to fix a bug that allowed access to the device’s microphone.
The company acknowledged that “erroneous” privacy indicators and notifications in the Android Privacy Dashboard were brought about by the Android bug.
Google stated, “We apologize for any confusion this bug may have caused users and thank WhatsApp for their partnership.”
Concerns about privacy reported
Multiple users raised privacy concerns regarding Meta’s WhatsApp platform last month. Even though the app was supposed to be inactive, there were instances where the microphone was being used.
The issue was reported on a variety of Android devices, but Samsung and Pixel phone owners were most affected. The “green dot” indicator, which appears whenever the microphone or camera is in use, allowed microphone activity to be seen.
In a tweet, WhatsApp denied any wrongdoing and blamed an Android bug that “mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard” for the problem. The business stated that they have asked Google to look into the issue.
