How to Turn Off FaceTime on iPhones, Macs to Avoid Apple's Eavesdropping Bug

he Apple logo is displayed at the Apple store in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
Photo credit (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

NEW YORK (AP) - Apple has made the group chat function in FaceTime unavailable after users said there was a bug that could allow callers to activate another user's microphone remotely.

The bug was demonstrated through videos online and reported on this week by tech blogs. Reports say the bug in the video chat app could allow an iPhone user calling another iPhone through Group Facetime to hear the audio from the other handset — even if the receiver did not accept the call.

Now you can answer for yourself on FaceTime even if they don’t answer--#Apple explain this.. pic.twitter.com/gr8llRKZxJ

— Benji Mobb™ (@BmManski) January 28, 2019

"We're aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week," Apple said in a statement Tuesday.

Its online support page noted there was a technical issuewith the application and that Group Facetime "is temporarily unavailable."

The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, released a statement warning people about the bug and urging people to disable the app until Apple fixes the issue.

To disable FaceTime and avoid being a victim of the bug, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad

2. Scroll down and select FaceTime

3. Toggle off the green button at the top of the screen.

To turn it off on a Mac, follow these steps:

1. Open the FaceTime app

2. Go to FaceTime on top of the screen

3. Select "Turn FaceTime Off."

Apple is due to report its latest quarterly earnings later Tuesday amid intense investor interest in the company's financial health. Earlier this month, Apple said that demand for iPhones was waning and that its earnings for the final quarter of 2018 would be below expectations — a rare downgrade from the company.