Some WhatsApp users on Android have noticed recently that the microphone seems to be in use more than it’s supposed to be, but WhatsApp claims this is a problem on Google’s end rather than its own.
It’s been reported over the past several weeks by quite a few users that WhatsApp for Android is triggering the microphone permission even when the app isn’t being actively used. This can be seen through the “green dot” indicator that appears whenever the microphone or camera is being used. As the folks over at PiunikaWeb documented last week, that’s what some users have been seeing from WhatsApp for upwards of a month.
A history of this microphone use can also be seen in Android’s Privacy Dashboard on more recent versions of the OS. That’s where Foad Dabiri, an engineer at Twitter, first noticed this problem and brought a spotlight onto it.
His Pixel 7 Pro captured nine separate reports of WhatsApp for Android using the microphone permission in the background while his phone wasn’t even active – Dabiri says he was asleep at the time, and this is just a small portion of what the phone captured.
Since it’s not an isolated incident, it’s certainly a worrying problem. It’s also happening across multiple Android devices and versions, with users reporting the issue on Pixel phones and a few different Samsung models.
The underlying cause isn’t entirely clear as there’s no “fix” at the moment, but WhatsApp claims this is a bug within Android itself. The Meta-owned company turned to Twitter today to say that it “believes” this is an issue with Android’s Privacy Dashboard, with the Dashboard “misattributing” this information to WhatsApp. The company then says it has asked Google to investigate the matter.
In a reply, WhatsApp reiterates that “users have full control over their mic settings” and that the app only uses the microphone when a user is making a call or sending a voice note/video.
Are you seeing this issue on your device? Let us know in the comments below.
Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.
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- Google shares I/O 2023 session list, including What’s new in Android, Material Design, and gen AI
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