Is WhatsApp spying on you? Google clarified what happened and why

Google has responded to the statement of one of Twitter users that the the Android version of WhatsApp application turns on the microphone of the users smartphone without the knowledge of the user and listens to their conversations in the background. Google has admitted that such a problem exists, adding that it is related to a bug in the operating system.

As reported by the Engadget website, at the beginning of May, the head of Twitter, Elon Musk, was interested in the statement of the above-mentioned user, who shared the tweet and declared that WhatsApp "cannot be trusted".

WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6AM (and that's just a part of the timeline!) What's going on? pic.twitter.com/pNIfe4VlHV

— Foad Dabiri (@foaddabiri) May 6, 2023

Later, representatives of WhatsApp responded to the accusations, claiming that the problem is in the Android system, and there can be no question of intentional wiretapping by the developers of the messenger. Then WhatsApp representatives asked Google to conduct an investigation.

Google soon confirmed that the problem reported by users of the Android version of the WhatsApp application is caused by a bug in the privacy monitoring panel of the Android operating system.

The company noted that due to this error, users could have the impression that the application is accessing their phone's microphone or camera and recording them.

However, the company assured that nothing like this actually happened. Google has also assured that it is actively working on a solution to the problem, which will be fixed in the next Android update.