Apple squashes FaceTime bug, will reward kid who found it

san francisco — Apple has released an iPhone update to fix a software flaw that allowed people to eavesdrop on others while using FaceTime.

The bug enabled interlopers to turn an iPhone into a live microphone while using Group FaceTime. Callers were able to activate another person’s microphone remotely even before the person has accepted or rejected the call.

Apple turned off the group-chat feature last week, after a 14-yearold boy in Tucson, Arizona, discovered the flaw. The teenager, Grant Thompson, and his mother said they unsuccessfully tried to contact the company about the problem for more than a week.

The FaceTime repair is included in the latest version of Apple’s iOS 12 system, which became available to install on Thursday.

Apple credited Thompson for discovering the FaceTime bug as

Grant Thompson, with his mother Michele, will be rewarded by Apple for his discovery of the bug. —

part of its software update, nearly a week after thanking him for reporting the bug in the first place.

As often occurs when people flag software flaws, Thompson will be rewarded for his sleuthing. Apple plans to contribute to Thompson’s college fund in addition to paying a bounty to him and his family for reporting the bug. —