Apple disables group calling in FaceTime in response to eavesdropping bug

Apple has disabled the group calling feature within its FaceTime calling service while it works on a patch to fix a nasty bug that allows eavesdropping.

Apple’s status page shows that group calling via FaceTime is “temporarily unavailable” — that’s a stop-gap move while the company to deliver a more permanent fix to the problem this week. We were unable to set up a group call when we tried, having earlier been able to do and replicate the issue.

All being well, this fix means that users don’t need to completely disable FaceTime due to the bug, but it is understandable if some people are hesitant to switch it on again.

The vulnerability was unearthed on Monday and it is activated when a user initiates a group call but adds themselves as a participant, as we explained in our earlier post:

The bug relies on what appears to be a nasty logic screwup in FaceTime’s group call system. While we’re opting to not outline the steps here, the bug seems to trick the recipient’s phone into thinking a group call is already ongoing. A few quick taps, and FaceTime immediately trips over itself and inexplicably fires up the recipient’s microphone without them actually accepting the call.

Weirder yet: if the recipient presses the volume down button or the power button to try to silence or dismiss the call, their camera turns on as well. Though the recipient’s phone display continues showing the incoming call screen, their microphone/camera are streaming.

Apple told us and other media that it plans to issue a more permanent solution in the coming days.

“We’re aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week,” a spokesperson said.

It’s interesting to note that the group calling feature actually took longer than planned to arrive in iOS follow a hiccup. It was added then removed from the beta version of iOS 12 in August while it took time to roll out to all users. The feature was absent when iOS 12 shipped to all in September and, instead, it arrived with the launch of iOS 12.1 in October. Apple never provided a reason for the delay.

The bug is an embarrassing incident for Apple, which has long emphasized its focus on privacy as a business and within its products. That included a recent banner at CES which triumphantly proclaimed: “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.”

from iPhone – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Bbmx6i

Apple disables group calling in FaceTime in response to eavesdropping bug

Apple has disabled the group calling feature within its FaceTime calling service while it works on a patch to fix a nasty bug that allows eavesdropping.

Apple’s status page shows that group calling via FaceTime is “temporarily unavailable” — that’s a stop-gap move while the company to deliver a more permanent fix to the problem this week. We were unable to set up a group call when we tried, having earlier been able to do and replicate the issue.

All being well, this fix means that users don’t need to completely disable FaceTime due to the bug, but it is understandable if some people are hesitant to switch it on again.

The vulnerability was unearthed on Monday and it is activated when a user initiates a group call but adds themselves as a participant, as we explained in our earlier post:

The bug relies on what appears to be a nasty logic screwup in FaceTime’s group call system. While we’re opting to not outline the steps here, the bug seems to trick the recipient’s phone into thinking a group call is already ongoing. A few quick taps, and FaceTime immediately trips over itself and inexplicably fires up the recipient’s microphone without them actually accepting the call.

Weirder yet: if the recipient presses the volume down button or the power button to try to silence or dismiss the call, their camera turns on as well. Though the recipient’s phone display continues showing the incoming call screen, their microphone/camera are streaming.

Apple told us and other media that it plans to issue a more permanent solution in the coming days.

“We’re aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week,” a spokesperson said.

It’s interesting to note that the group calling feature actually took longer than planned to arrive in iOS follow a hiccup. It was added then removed from the beta version of iOS 12 in August while it took time to roll out to all users. The feature was absent when iOS 12 shipped to all in September and, instead, it arrived with the launch of iOS 12.1 in October. Apple never provided a reason for the delay.

The bug is an embarrassing incident for Apple, which has long emphasized its focus on privacy as a business and within its products. That included a recent banner at CES which triumphantly proclaimed: “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.”

from Apple – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Bbmx6i

App Store developers have earned $120 billion since 2008

Apple is kicking off the Entrepreneur Camp in Cupertino. 11 female-founded app development companies have been invited to Cupertino for multiple workshops and meetings with Apple employees. And Apple used that opportunity to share a new number when it comes to App Store revenue.

Since the creation of the App Store, Apple has given back $120 billion in revenue to App Store developers. It means that the App Store has generated more revenue than that in total. But if you remove Apple’s cut, $120 billion have been wired to developers.

App Store revenue is still growing rapidly as over $30 billion of developer revenue has been generated in the last twelve months alone. Apple reported $100 billion in developer revenue at WWDC back in June 2018.

Apple only counts direct App Store revenue, such as paid downloads, in-app purchases and subscriptions. Developers could have also generated more revenue through ads and subscriptions on a website for instance.

If you’re curious about the Entrepreneur Camp, Apple has invited the developers of Bites, Camille, CUCO: Lembrete de Medicamentos, Deepr, D’efekt, Hopscotch, LactApp, Pureple, Statues of the La Paz Malecón, WeParent and Seneca Connect. There will be a new session every quarter.

from Apple – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2TiTpRT

AirBuddy brings iOS-style AirPod integration to the Mac

iOS is easily one of the best things AirPods have going for them. Flip open the cap and, boom, there are the headphones and case, each sporting their respective battery levels. Pairing AirPods to your desktop has been doable as well, albeit markedly less convenient.

Guilherme Rambo of 9 to 5 Mac has a convenient new solution, however, beating Apple to the punch in the process. Now available through Gumroad (for a suggested donation of $5+), AirBuddy brings the same convenient iOS experience to desktops running Mojave (10.14) or later.

Introducing AirBuddy https://t.co/auVtjQtTHe pic.twitter.com/6sh96VSp8c

— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) January 28, 2019

Once installed, opening the AirPod case next to a Mac will pop up the familiar floating AirPods icon, letting you know what’s left of your battery (or how much time you’ve got left to charge). There’s also a nice added feature here, “A simple click and you’re connected and playing your Mac’s audio to AirPods,” the developer writes. Oh, it also makes sure the audio input of your Mac is NOT switched to the AirPods so you can get the best possible quality.”

The system requires Bluetooth LE to work. It should also work for other nearby Apple devices that have connected via WiFi, including iPhones, iPads and Beats headphones sporting the W1 chip.

from Apple – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2G3Lcgx

Apple spent $60 billion with American suppliers in 2018

Apple has released an update on its spendings in the U.S. According to the company, Apple is now working with 9,000 different companies in the U.S. Those companies mostly work on hardware components and chipsets for Apple’s devices.

You may remember that Apple announced last year it would spend $390 million to expand Finisar’s production in the U.S. Finisar has been working on a key component for the iPhone and iPad Pro — the TrueDepth camera system.

That investment was part of a commitment to spend $1 billion in U.S.-based companies with its Advanced Manufacturing Fund in order to build new facilities and help manufacturers.

But Apple is already spending much more money with American companies. In 2018 alone, Apple spent $60 billion, which represents a 10 percent increase compared to 2017. The company estimates that it represents around 450,000 jobs.

In addition to Finisar, Apple names a few partners in its announcement — Corning, Cincinnati Test Systems and Broadcom.

Finally, if you take into account everybody working for Apple in one way or another, there are now 2 million people in the U.S. helping Apple as an employee, a contractor, a store manager, a supplier, etc. This number is up from 600,000 in 2011.

from Apple – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Rn0jDA

Apple could be working on gaming subscription service

Apple is slowly building a lineup of content subscriptions. According to a report from Cheddar, Apple may also be working on a gaming subscription. Alex Heath managed to get five people to talk about the rumored service.

If Apple goes ahead and launch such a service, users could pay a monthly subscription fee to access a library of games. It’s still unclear how much it would cost and what would be included in the subscription.

Given that many iOS games are now free-to-play games, it’s hard to see how it would work. Apple could choose to focus on paid games and give those games for free as part of the subscription. The company could also give you free coins and perks when it comes to free-to-play games.

Apple has to talk with potential partners to put together the service — that’s probably how Cheddar learned about Apple’s plans. The company isn’t going to develop a bunch games overnight (remember Apple’s Texas Hold ‘Em?). But it could act as a sort of game publisher by promoting and distributing new games in a subscription tier.

Games are by far the most popular category on the App Store. They generate a ton of downloads and revenue. And it sounds like Apple thinks it could generate more revenue by switching to a different business model, beyond the usual 30-percent cut on in-app purchases.

Apple has also been signing deals with TV producers in order to put together a streaming service. The company wants to compete with Netflix and other streaming platforms.

Apple has been working on a magazine subscription service as well. The company acquired Texture back in March 2018 to build the foundation of the service. And that new subscription should launch pretty soon. You can find a landing page for Apple News Magazines in the beta version of iOS 12.2.

And of course, Apple has attracted 56 million subscribers for Apple Music. Now let’s see if the company can replicate the same success with other services.

from Apple – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2TiJXxT

Will the iPod return in 2019?

I get a little giddy at the notion of another iPod. It’s almost entirely nostalgic, of course. And Apple long ago abandoned my own favorite, the definitely dea iPod Classic. The touch, on the other hand, just kind of faded away. “The king is gone, but he’s not forgotten,” Neil Young once sang.

But 2019 could mark a sort of return for the final iteration of the beloved music device — which, toward the end more closely resembled a cellular-free iPhone than any of its predecessors. What form a new iPod Touch might take is uncertain, but a couple of breadcrumbs have suggested that the line might have a little life left in it, after all.

Earlier this month, a report tied to supply chain sources suggested a potential redesign of the hardware. That came alongside news that the iPhone might finally switch to USB-C.  That would put the devices in line with the latest iPad Pro, and could signal a larger company-wide shift toward the more ubiquitous port. Whether or not the music-focused product would drop both Lightning and the headphone jack is just one of a million questions around the potential refresh.

This week meanwhile, eagle-eyed Steve Troughton-Smith note an “iPod 9,1” among the Apple products listed in the iOS 12.2 code. The list also appears to confirm recent rumors around the addition of new iPad. Tellingly, the iPod listing doesn’t include Face ID or Touch ID, which could be an attempt to keep the device at a reasonable price. 

Of course, the ubiquity of the iPhone and other handsets, along with the exponential growth of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have dampened the necessity of music-only hardware devices. Still, as I noted in my bit of Palm phone wish fulfillment, some days an iPod would hit the spot.

from Apple – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2UhQclA