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Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

techcrunch.com

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Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#51

Post by Avamander »

ViViDboarder wrote: post #50
unnawut wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This happens to me on Android as well and it has always been like this. Would love to know why a phone call needs to block all other actions except accept/reject a call.

Huh. What manufacturer? When unlocked, stock Android has had incoming calls as a notification rather than whole screen for years. When screen is locked it is probably still full screen.

Many crap reskins (Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei) break the ability to hide call notifications. It's absolutely awful.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#52

Post by nvrspyx »

snarf21 wrote: post #38
abalone wrote: post #20

I've found that it's pretty easy to get people to inadvertently accept FaceTime calls if you continuously spam them. (I was on the receiving end of this attack.) Here's how it works. 1- It's very easy and instantaneous to redial someone on FaceTime if they decline your call. You can just spam the call button and the target will get a continuous ring, basically. 2- Even if they turn on Do Not Disturb, many people have…

Absolutely. There needs to be a block this user right on the accept/cancel screen. Apple also needs to track who is doing this and repeat offenders lose access to FT in general or that iTunes account. I really don't understand why calls and texts don't have a default mode to only ring or pass through if they are from a contact. Depending on the government to prevent robo calling seems foolish. We need technology buil…

They also need to change it so that an incoming call doesn’t takes over the entire screen of your phone. I could be doing something on my phone like typing this comment and next thing I know, I’ve answered a call.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#53

Post by mikestew »

applecrazy wrote: post #49
dwighttk wrote: post #23

I have a series two Apple Watch and while the app shows up I was unable to get it to work back when I tried. I didn’t care that much so I just tried a couple times and gave up.

Don’t know why you’re being downvoted. I tried to make it work with my friends and for some reason, I could never get it to set up.

Don’t know why you’re being downvoted.

Were I to guess, the original comment is at best peripherally related to the topic at hand ("the app", I'll assume, refers to the Walkie-Talkie app). IOW, it doesn't contribute much.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#54

Post by gowld »

Avamander wrote: post #51
ViViDboarder wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh. What manufacturer? When unlocked, stock Android has had incoming calls as a notification rather than whole screen for years. When screen is locked it is probably still full screen.

Many crap reskins (Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei) break the ability to hide call notifications. It's absolutely awful.

This is one of the problems of Android's model. By being so open to customization, any branch's weirdness gets mixed in with "Android", because there are too many variations and not enough linguistic ability to name them all clearly and consistently in conversation.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#55

Post by gowld »

thfuran wrote: post #47
unnawut wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This happens to me on Android as well and it has always been like this. Would love to know why a phone call needs to block all other actions except accept/reject a call.

To be fair, the device is nominally a telephone with a few extra bells and whistles.

I didn't pay $1000 for a "telephone with a few extra bells and whistles"

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#56

Post by gowld »

bb123 wrote: post #39
abalone wrote: post #20

I've found that it's pretty easy to get people to inadvertently accept FaceTime calls if you continuously spam them. (I was on the receiving end of this attack.) Here's how it works. 1- It's very easy and instantaneous to redial someone on FaceTime if they decline your call. You can just spam the call button and the target will get a continuous ring, basically. 2- Even if they turn on Do Not Disturb, many people have…

Couldn't you just put the phone into Airplane Mode while you block the caller? This would be my first action.

People who pay the Apple tax don't accept "couldn't you just" as a reasonably solution.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#57

Post by asveikau »

snarf21 wrote: post #38
abalone wrote: post #20

I've found that it's pretty easy to get people to inadvertently accept FaceTime calls if you continuously spam them. (I was on the receiving end of this attack.) Here's how it works. 1- It's very easy and instantaneous to redial someone on FaceTime if they decline your call. You can just spam the call button and the target will get a continuous ring, basically. 2- Even if they turn on Do Not Disturb, many people have…

Absolutely. There needs to be a block this user right on the accept/cancel screen. Apple also needs to track who is doing this and repeat offenders lose access to FT in general or that iTunes account. I really don't understand why calls and texts don't have a default mode to only ring or pass through if they are from a contact. Depending on the government to prevent robo calling seems foolish. We need technology buil…

> There needs to be a block this user right on the accept/cancel screen

Personally I hope I don't end up blocking a family member or someone else important because my phone is slipping around in my pocket when they happen to call.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#58

Post by rickyc091 »

abalone wrote: post #20

I've found that it's pretty easy to get people to inadvertently accept FaceTime calls if you continuously spam them. (I was on the receiving end of this attack.) Here's how it works. 1- It's very easy and instantaneous to redial someone on FaceTime if they decline your call. You can just spam the call button and the target will get a continuous ring, basically. 2- Even if they turn on Do Not Disturb, many people have…

Even worse, FaceTime calls get routed to your desktop so as you're typing a message or an email, you can easily hit enter or spacebar to accept it accidentally.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#59

Post by mathieuh »

asveikau wrote: post #57
snarf21 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. There needs to be a block this user right on the accept/cancel screen. Apple also needs to track who is doing this and repeat offenders lose access to FT in general or that iTunes account. I really don't understand why calls and texts don't have a default mode to only ring or pass through if they are from a contact. Depending on the government to prevent robo calling seems foolish. We need technology buil…

> There needs to be a block this user right on the accept/cancel screen Personally I hope I don't end up blocking a family member or someone else important because my phone is slipping around in my pocket when they happen to call.

I’m pretty sure the proximity sensor activates as soon as the call comes in, so the screen would be disabled until you take it out of your pocket.

Re: Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to eavesdropping vulnerability

#60

Post by coldpie »

donkeyd wrote: post #44
coldpie wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Only slightly related, but as a lead developer I've had some business people get angry, because I refused to build features that violated customer privacy (and GDPR). I wrote a feedback mechanism in an Android application that we made at work. There's a space for users to write their feedback, but of course we collect other information about their system and what they've done in our application. In the feedback dia…

That's pretty awesome. And great that your boss thought this was a good idea too.

Behold the power of making a product for users instead of advertisers.
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