If our smartphones are a vast land of possibilities, apps are the Wild West. As such, some apps are amazing sources of information or fantastic helpers in our everyday life — while others are duds that take up space, drain our batteries, and are leaving us more open and vulnerable to hacking attempts. Not every app will prove a gem and knowing which ones to stay away from or swap for stronger alternatives is important. This is the one app Apple doesn’t want you to know is ruining your iPhone.
FaceTime
During quarantine, many smartphone users came to realize how much they rely on video conferencing for both work and to keep in contact with friends and family. Although there are a few options out there (Zoom becoming a clear favorite for many businesses), FaceTime doesn’t always make it to the top of tech experts’ lists of best video communication apps.
“Bugs and performance problems with Apple’s FaceTime application, which is used to conduct video conversations, are well-known in the industry,” says Daniela Sawyer, founder and business development strategist of FindPeopleFast.net, a web-based people searching website. “Attackers may eavesdrop on the receiver’s smartphone and hear anything the user is saying into the device’s microphone due to a notable flaw in this program.”
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According to Sawyer, Facetime group calls were the point of failure that caused this issue. “While dealing with this bug, Apple recognized another problem in the FaceTime app itself, part of the same set of vulnerabilities,” Sawyer explains. “This bug had to do with Live Photos, though Apple did not release details about this problem. Several customers have reported having difficulty placing FaceTime calls, as well as occasional call dropouts.”
Furthermore, Sawyer says, FaceTime consumes a significant amount of battery life and is very hefty. When using the app, your phone’s temperature even rises substantially. “Excessive heat puts stress on the battery and the circuitry of the gadget, causing it to become less efficient over time,” Sawyer says. “The burden that this application places on the device is needless. Alternative audio-video calling applications are available that offer end-to-end encryption capabilities without being too resource-intensive and heavy on the system resources.”
Some of these secure apps include Zoom 5.0, Signal, and Google Duo.
