HIGHLIGHTS

* WhatsApp was found using the microphone on Android phones even when the app is closed.
* This was raised by a Twitter engineer who shared screenshots of WhatsApp’s microphone activity.
* WhatsApp responded saying that issue is a bug in the Android system. 

Some WhatsApp users on Android have noticed recently that the microphone seems to be in use more than it’s supposed to be, but WhatsApp claims this is a problem on Google’s end rather than its own.

It’s been reported over the past several weeks by quite a few users that WhatsApp for Android is triggering the microphone permission even when the app isn’t being actively used. This can be seen through the “green dot” indicator that appears whenever the microphone or camera is being used.

As the folks over at PiunikaWeb documented last week, that’s what some users have been seeing from WhatsApp for upwards of a month.

A history of this microphone use can also be seen in Android’s Privacy Dashboard on more recent versions of the OS. That’s where Foad Dabiri, an engineer at Twitter, first noticed this problem and brought a spotlight onto it.

His Pixel 7 Pro captured nine separate reports of WhatsApp for Android using the microphone permission in the background while his phone wasn’t even active – Dabiri says he was asleep at the time, and this is just a small portion of what the phone captured.

Since it’s not an isolated incident, it’s certainly a worrying problem. It’s also happening across multiple Android devices and versions, with users reporting the issue on Pixel phones and a few different Samsung models.

The underlying cause isn’t entirely clear as there’s no “fix” at the moment, but WhatsApp claims this is a bug within Android itself. The Meta-owned company turned to Twitter today to say that it “believes” this is an issue with Android’s Privacy Dashboard, with the Dashboard “misattributing” this information to WhatsApp. The company then says it has asked Google to investigate the matter.

In a reply, WhatsApp reiterates that “users have full control over their mic settings” and that the app only uses the microphone when a user is making a call or sending a voice note/video.

WhatsApp is apparently using the microphone on Android phones more than it should. A WhatsApp user shared the app’s microphone activity on a Pixel phone and it showed that the mic was used at frequent intervals and when the app wasn’t in use at all. WhatsApp did respond to this but it’s claiming that issue is on Google’s end and not the messaging app.

This issue was raised Foad Dabiri, a Twitter engineer who shared a screenshot of WhatsApp’s microphone activity on his Pixel 7 Pro. Dabiri said that WhatsApp has been using the microphone while he was asleep and when he woke up.

The screenshot shows a detailed timeline of WhatsApp’s microphone activity and we can see that the mic is used in very short time intervals ranging between two minutes, four minutes, and ten minutes. What’s clear is that the phone is idle during this time with no activity from the user’s side.

The tweet surely grabbed a lot of attention with over 66 million views with even Elon Musk replying to it saying, “That’s weird.”

In response to this issue, WhatsApp said that they’ve been in touch with the Twitter engineer for the same. It added that the bug is actually on Android’s Privacy Dashboard which is mis-attributing information. WhatsApp said that they’ve asked Google to investigate and remediate the issue.

WhatsApp also reassured users that they have full control over their mic settings. As for when the mic used, WhatsApp said it happens only when “a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video.” Even during this time, the conversations are end-to-end encrypted.

This isn’t an isolated incident though as there have been reports of WhatsApp users on Android raising the same issue. In a report by PiunikaWeb, WhatsApp users have pointed out that the green notification dot that appears when the mic is in use blinks even when the app is not in use.

Google is yet to respond to this issue and confirm whether it indeed is a bug on Android. But unauthorised usage of the phone’s mic is seriously concerning especially when it’s the most widely used messaging app.

Faqs

1) WhatsApp’s Android app using mic even when it isn’t being used. Details

Ans) While WhatsApp is working on a bunch of new features for its messaging app, there is a big bug that needs to be fixed as soon as possible. According to several user reports, because of an underlying bug, WhatsApp is continuously using the mic even when the user closes the app. This issue appears to be affecting several Android smartphones, including ones from Samsung and Google.

A Twitter engineer brought this WhatsApp mic bug to light and posted a screenshot of the history of the microphone activity in Android’s Privacy Dashboard. It clearly shows the WhatsApp app accessing the mic very frequently. Moreover, the microphone activity was clearly visible through the green dot notification on the Android status bar as well.

WhatsApp responded to the serious user reports, claiming that the issue lies with the Android OS and not the app itself. WhatsApp claims that there is an underlying bug within the Android OS that is ‘miss-attributing’ information in the privacy dashboard, and the Facebook-owned messaging app has asked Google to investigate it further.

The worst part is that WhatsApp’s response did not come until billionaire Elon Musk shared his opinion on this matter via his official Twitter platform. And as you might have guessed, Musk’s reaction wasn’t positive, and he accused WhatsApp of not being trustworthy. Whatever the case may be, this is a worrying situation for the billions who use WhatsApp, as their privacy is at risk. As of now, there isn’t a fix available for this bug.

2) WhatsApp cannot be trusted, says Elon Musk as Google confirms ‘issue’ in Android app. Details?

Ans) Elon Musk isn’t a fan of Meta or its group of companies. He has openly endorsed Signal, a rival messaging app of WhatsApp. In the past, he also urged users to delete their Facebook accounts. So it’s no surprise to see his latest dig at a Meta-owned app.

A Twitter engineer posted a tweet regarding a bug on WhatsApp. Foad Dabiri in a tweet noted that, “WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6AM (and that’s just a part of the timeline!) What’s going on?”. His tweet evoked a reply from Musk where he said, “WhatsApp cannot be trusted.”

3) What is the ‘issue’ with WhatsApp?

Ans) Dabiri shared a screenshot of the Android Dashboard which showed that microphone access was on for WhatsApp. Users have the option to allow and disallow access to apps and it shouldn’t be used in the background.

4) What does WhatsApp have to say about the matter?

Ans) The instant messaging app confirmed that they had gotten in touch with Dabiri. “Over the last 24 hours we’ve been in touch with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp,” as per a tweet by WhatsApp’s official account.

WhatsApp has said that the issue seems to be with Android and not with its own app.“We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate.”

Google, on the other hand, didn’t say much about the bug but did confirm that it is looking into the matter. “We are aware of the issue and are working closely with WhatsApp to investigate,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

WhatsApp also reiterated that it gives users complete control over their microphone settings. “Once granted permission, WhatsApp only accesses the mic when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video – and even then, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot hear them,” the app said in another tweet.