Google and WhatsApp join hands to fix major privacy-related bug on Android phones

WhatsApp and Google have collaborated to address a bug in Android phones. In may this year, multiple users shared screengrabs of privacy dashboard where WhatsApp was seen accessing the microphone even when the user was asleep. WhatsApp later clarified that a bug caused incorrect privacy indicators and notifications within the Privacy Dashboard. They categorically claimed that privacy was not compromised as the microphone was not actually being used in the background.

The allegations against WhatsApp gained attention, especially after a tweet from Elon Musk.  Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar also claimed that the issue will be investigated. However, WhatsApp responded quickly, explaining that the issue was a bug within the Android system's Privacy Dashboard. The company then enlisted Google's help to investigate and resolve the situation.

Google had also confirmed it was indeed a bug in the Android system. The bug caused the incorrect display of privacy indicators for a limited number of WhatsApp users.

Also read: Is WhatsApp really listening to your bedroom conversations? 

Android Developers official Twitter handle recently tweeted to announce the resolution of the bug. They acknowledged the bug's impact on a limited number of WhatsApp users and expressed appreciation to WhatsApp for their partnership in resolving the issue. Google also apologized for any confusion caused by the bug and urged users to update their WhatsApp app to address the problem.

A recent Android bug affecting a limited number of WhatsApp users produced erroneous privacy indicators and notifications in the Android Privacy Dashboard.

Users can now update their WhatsApp app to address this issue.

We thank WhatsApp for their partnership and apologize…

— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) June 21, 2023

The fix is now available in the latest update of WhatsApp for Android, ensuring that the app no longer triggers the bug.

To resolve the issue with privacy indicators, users need to install the latest version of WhatsApp for Android from the Google Play Store.

Also read: WhatsApp announces much-needed feature 'Silence Unknown Callers'; check how it works