WhatsApp Using Microphone in Background Claimed Engineer Purported Android Bug Government to Probe Allegations Details

WhatsApp is claimed to be using the microphone in the background on some Android devices. The issue came into limelight when a Twitter engineer tweeted that the Meta-owned instant messaging app gained access to the microphone of his Google Pixel 7 Pro during the night, when the app was not actively in use. Elon Musk’s tweet further spread this claim like wildfire. WhatsApp later denied the claims, saying it was an Android bug. Let us tell you in detail.

Foad Dabiri, director of engineering at Twitter, posted a screenshot of his Pixel 7 Pro, claiming that WhatsApp repeatedly accesses the phone’s microphone even when the app is not being actively used. Screenshots of Android’s privacy dashboard show that WhatsApp accessed the phone’s microphone at least nine times overnight between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. local time.

In the tweet he wrote, “WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background from the time I was asleep until I woke up at 6 am (and this is only a part of the timeline!) What’s going on?”

Following Phod’s claim, several WhatsApp users on Pixel’s support forum as well as on Twitter have said that the green dot associated with the microphone is still visible on their devices even after exiting or closing the app. Some have complained about this problem for more than a month. After checking the permissions history from the Settings menu on an Android device, some users have claimed that WhatsApp is accessing the microphone in the background.

Following Fod’s tweet, Twitter’s CEP Elon Musk also reacted and retweeted Dabiri’s post, writing, “Don’t trust anything, even nothing.”

WhatsApp has responded to the issue and dismissed all claims saying that it is a bug of Android. In a statement shared on Twitter, the instant messaging platform said it was an Android bug “that causes false information to appear in their privacy dashboard”. The company said it had asked Google to investigate the issue.

Additionally, WhatsApp reiterated that users have full control over their microphone settings. The company added in the statement, “Once granted, WhatsApp accesses the mic only when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video – and even then, these communications are end-to-end.” “And are protected by encryption, so WhatsApp can’t listen to them.”

Furthermore, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Wednesday, May 10 Said That the government will investigate the allegations against WhatsApp. The IT ministry will “take action on any violation of privacy even as the new Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDP) is ready.”