WhatsApp Android Mic Issues: Stays On Even When Not in Use, Says its Google’s Fault

There is a new issue over at WhatsApp's Android app, and this is a privacy concern raised by users as the instant messaging platform turns on the device's microphone despite not being in use. It is now riling up the social media platform, Twitter, as a user shared evidence that WhatsApp kept the mic on during the wee hours of the morning before they even woke up.

In response to the issue, the company claimed that this issue is not their fault, and is pointing at Google and Android to look into the matter and soon bring a fix to the problem.

WhatsApp Android's Mic is Turned On Even When Not In Use

Twitter engineer, Foad Dabiri, shared his latest discovery of a privacy issue found in WhatsApp's Android version, saying that the app turns on the microphone even when it is not in use. This happened in the early morning times, around 4 AM onwards, and the engineer noted that this was the time when he was still asleep and not using the app.

Dabiri said that he wakes up at 6 AM, so he does not use his device, let alone the WhatsApp app for the mic to turn on. Android alerts users whenever a certain app is using their camera or mic via the green dot on the Notification bar.

Adding fuel to the fire, Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, quoted the engineer's tweet and claimed that "WhatsApp cannot be trusted."

WhatsApp says its Google and Android's Fault

In a response by WhatsApp, they claimed that they have been in touch with the engineer who presented the issue found on his Pixel smartphone. The app company said that there is an Android bug that does this, one that misattributes the information sent to its Privacy Dashboard and asks Google to look into it and provide a fix for this problem.

WhatsApp and its Privacy Issues

Back when users called for a Facebook (now Meta) boycott, WhatsApp is among the services which they regarded to be an unsafe platform that collects user data even without their consent. Still, WhatsApp is among the instant messaging apps that promise to deliver end-to-end encryption at its very core, promising security with its operations.

There was also a time when scam and spam messages were rampant in the world, and they did not only focus on robocalls and robotexts, as these types of messages also invaded apps. WhatsApp users were also victimized by this trend, and the company encourages the public who saw these texts to report the sender and their messages to alert the app.

Meta and WhatsApp have been notorious for their privacy issues in the past and present, and many users still do not trust the company concerning their operations, as well as how they handle user data. However, this issue is not something that stems from their development or system but is on the Android's Privacy Dashboard, compelling Google to fix the issue.