A major FaceTime bug that allowed people to listen to conversations or even watch videos without you answering the call. This issue has been present since iOS 12.1 arrived last year. Apple has disabled Group FaceTime to stop the bug and prevent this spying. We expect an iOS 12.1.14 update to arrive this week as Apple has confirmed a fix is in the works. If that’s not enough for you, this is how you can turn off FaceTime on your iPhone and Mac.
If you turn this feature off, you won’t be able to use FaceTime for video calls or FaceTime Audio, but it might give you extra peace of mind even if Apple’s server-level fix is in place.
How to Turn Off FaceTime on Your iPhone and iPad
On your iPhone or iPad, you can turn off FaceTime in settings. This takes about 30 seconds to do, but you’ll have to do this on each device if you want to turn it off completely. You may need to enter your Apple ID password when you want to open it, so don’t worry if you don’t know your Apple password.
How to turn off FaceTime on your iPhone or iPad
- Open settings.
- Scroll down and tap FaceTime.
- Tap Change to turn it off.
That’s all you need to do to completely turn off FaceTime on your iPhone or iPad. Repeat on your other iOS devices to make sure it’s completely turned off.
How to Turn Off FaceTime on Your Mac
How to turn off FaceTime on your Mac?
If you want to go one step further, you can turn off FaceTime on your Mac. This was unaffected by the latest Group FaceTime bug we know of and is currently OK. If you want to turn off FaceTime on your Mac, here is what you need to do. This includes video and audio.
- Open FaceTime
- Click FaceTime in the upper left corner.
- Click Turn Off FaceTime.
Here you go. FaceTime is turned off on your Mac. You can reverse this by clicking Open in the FaceTime app on your Mac.