Was WhatsApp spying on you? Or was it just accidentally telling your phone it was spying on you?
Google now claims that a WhatsApp-related bug from May simply ‘produced erroneous privacy indicators and notifications’ for Android users on their Privacy Dashboard tool.
Any worry of WhatsApp secretly accessing Android phone’s microphones for a bit of sneaky surveillance, so the company said via their Android Developers twitter account, was all just a misunderstanding based on these ‘erroneous’ notifications.
While certain users are still skeptical, Google advises that updates to the latest version of WhatsApp have addressed the issue.
Via their Android Developers twitter account, Google now claims that a WhatsApp-related bug simply ‘produced erroneous privacy indicators and notifications’ for Android users. No actual unauthorized access of phone microphones occurred, at least according to the company
For their part, WhatsApp took to Twitter back on May 9th 2023, claiming as Android does now that the issue was a ‘bug on Android’ that sent false information to users’ Privacy Dashboards
The Android Developers version echoes statements made in early May, amid an outcry from Android users over the worrying privacy notifications.
The furor even led to billionaire Tesla chief and Twitter owner Elon Musk to weigh in on WhatsApp’s safety, stating his view that ‘WhatsApp cannot be trusted.’
For their part, WhatsApp took to Twitter on May 9th 2023, claiming as Android does now that the issue was a ‘bug on Android’ that sent false information to certain user’s Privacy Dashboard.
The dashboard is a Google feature that monitors how and when third-party apps access the camera and mic.
Launched with Android 12, it serves as a way for users to know which of their apps might be snooping, with unwanted access or permissions to their microphone or camera.
Privacy Dashboard is located