Friday, February 1, 2019

Group FaceTime Will Remain Permanently Disabled on iOS 12.1.3 and Earlier

http://bit.ly/2SexDRP

Apple today issued an apology for its major FaceTime security bug that allowed for eavesdropping on calls.


"We have fixed the Group FaceTime security bug on Apple's servers and we will issue a software update to re-enable the feature for users next week," said Apple in a statement issued to MacRumors and other media outlets.

For absolute clarity, we've since confirmed that this means Group FaceTime will remain permanently disabled on iOS 12.1 through iOS 12.1.3. To access Group FaceTime, users will need to update their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a software update coming next week that is likely to be iOS 12.1.4.

Apple disabled Group FaceTime within a few hours of the bug making headlines, instantly preventing the bug from working.

Widely publicized on Monday, the FaceTime bug allowed one person to call another person via FaceTime, slide up on the interface and enter their own phone number, and automatically gain access to audio from the other person's device without that person accepting the call. In some cases, even video was accessible.


Apple's full statement issued to MacRumors:
We have fixed the Group FaceTime security bug on Apple's servers and we will issue a software update to re-enable the feature for users next week. We thank the Thompson family for reporting the bug. We sincerely apologize to our customers who were affected and all who were concerned about this security issue. We appreciate everyone's patience as we complete this process.

We want to assure our customers that as soon as our engineering team became aware of the details necessary to reproduce the bug, they quickly disabled Group FaceTime and began work on the fix. We are committed to improving the process by which we receive and escalate these reports, in order to get them to the right people as fast as possible. We take the security of our products extremely seriously and we are committed to continuing to earn the trust Apple customers place in us.
The bug will presumably be fixed in a subsequent iOS 12.2 beta as well.

Group FaceTime debuted with iOS 12.1 in October.

Related Roundup: iOS 12

This article, "Group FaceTime Will Remain Permanently Disabled on iOS 12.1.3 and Earlier" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2DbleVt

The best iPhone XS deals of February 2019

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Here's where to get the best price on the iPhone XS on contract or SIM-free for right now.

from Latest iPhone Articles from Macworld UK http://bit.ly/2TqxeJn

App Store, Apple Music, and iTunes Down for Some iOS 11 Users

http://bit.ly/2pt24FS

We're seeing an increasing number of reports across Reddit and Twitter from iOS 11 users who have been unable to access Apple services such as the App Store, Apple Music, and iTunes since as early as Thursday morning.


Apple's system status page does not yet reflect any issues with any of its services beyond Group FaceTime being temporarily unavailable.

The underlying cause is unclear. We'll update if we learn more.


This article, "App Store, Apple Music, and iTunes Down for Some iOS 11 Users" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2TlY4Cq

Apple Apologizes About FaceTime Bug, Software Update With Fix Delayed Until Next Week

http://bit.ly/2SexDRP

Apple issued the following statement to MacRumors today:


“We have fixed the Group FaceTime security bug on Apple’s servers and we will issue a software update to re-enable the feature for users next week. We thank the Thompson family for reporting the bug. We sincerely apologize to our customers who were affected and all who were concerned about this security issue. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this process.

We want to assure our customers that as soon as our engineering team became aware of the details necessary to reproduce the bug, they quickly disabled Group FaceTime and began work on the fix. We are committed to improving the process by which we receive and escalate these reports, in order to get them to the right people as fast as possible. We take the security of our products extremely seriously and we are committed to continuing to earn the trust Apple customers place in us.”

Details to follow…


This article, "Apple Apologizes About FaceTime Bug, Software Update With Fix Delayed Until Next Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2Tqo4fX

Apple Promotes Heart Health With Activity Challenge and Apple Store Events Throughout February

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In recognition of Heart Month, Apple today announced it will offer an Activity Challenge on Apple Watch and heart health events at Apple Stores in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York throughout February.


The heart health events:
  • San Francisco: Apple Union Square on February 11 at 6 p.m. with Dr. Sumbul Desai, Jeanette Jenkins, and Julz Arney
  • New York: Apple Williamsburg on February 21 at 4:30 p.m. with Dr. Sumbul Desai, Jeanette Jenkins, and Jay Blahnik
  • Chicago: Apple Michigan Avenue on February 27 at 6 p.m. with Dr. Sumbul Desai, Nancy Brown, Jeanette Jenkins, and Craig Bolton
For the Activity Challenge, anyone who closes their exercise ring on Apple Watch seven days in a row from February 8-14 will earn a special badge and stickers for Messages on Valentine's Day.

“Cardiovascular disease takes many forms and some are fully preventable through lifestyle changes like increased physical activity and better nutrition. It’s always great to see patients make those positive changes, especially with the help of Apple Watch,” said Sumbul Desai, MD, Apple’s vice president of Health. “Other conditions are more challenging to pinpoint like Afib and this is where we hope to help people access and understand information about their heart health through our irregular rhythm notification and ECG app.”

Related Roundup: Apple Stores

This article, "Apple Promotes Heart Health With Activity Challenge and Apple Store Events Throughout February" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2DQreEr

Vivo V15 Pro Specifications Leaked: 48MP Rear Camera, 32MP Selfie Camera, and More Features Revealed


via News – MySmartPrice http://bit.ly/2t0FmEY

Huawei 5G Foldable Phone to Launch at MWC 2019 Event Scheduled for February 24


via News – MySmartPrice http://bit.ly/2Rwqish