• Cryptocurrency
  • Earnings
  • Enterprise
  • About TechBooky
  • Submit Article
  • Advertise Here
  • Contact Us
TechBooky
  • African
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Gadgets
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
  • African
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Gadgets
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
TechBooky
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Home Gadgets

Apple Brings Walkie Talkie Back To The Apple Watch After Security Flaw

Theresa Casimir by Theresa Casimir
July 23, 2019
in Gadgets, Security, Software
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

After weeks of beta testing, Apple has finally released iOS 12.4 to the public, bringing with it a number of tweaks. The iOS 12.4 update is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the update, go to Settings –> General –> Software Update. As with all iOS updates, iOS 12.4 is free to download, but it may take some time for iOS 12.4 to propagate to all iOS users.

According to Apple’s release notes, the update introduces a

iPhone migration

– Introduces the ability to wirelessly transfer data and migrate directly from an old iPhone to a new iPhone during setup.

Apple News

– Makes downloaded issues accessible in the My Magazines section, both offline and online

– Adds all publications in Apple News+, including newspapers, to the catalog at the top of the News+ feed

– Adds the ability to clear downloaded magazine issues by selecting History > Clear > Clear All.

Last but not least is a new security fix for the Walkie-Talkie app on the Apple Watch. Apple actually disabled the Walkie-Talkie feature when it discovered a vulnerability that allowed others to listen in on Walkie-Talkie conversations–Just a few weeks after it was disabled over a security vulnerability, Apple has brought the Walkie Talkie app back to the Apple Watch. The vulnerability in Walkie Talkie was discovered that could let users listen in on another person’s iPhone without their consent.

The company explained that the feature hadn’t been exploited but it nonetheless pulled Walkie Talkie so it could work on a fix, That fix is ready today in both iOS 12.4 and watchOS 5.3, which means the Walkie-Talkie app is once again available for use–When disabling the Walkie-Talkie app, Apple didn’t pull it off of Apple Watches, leaving the app intact but rendering it non-functional. Today’s software updates fix the vulnerability and bring the app back online.

“We were just made aware of a vulnerability related to the Walkie-Talkie app on the Apple Watch and have disabled the function as we quickly fix the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and will restore the functionality as soon as possible.

“Although we are not aware of any use of the vulnerability against a customer and specific conditions and sequences of events are required to exploit it, we take the security and privacy of our customers extremely seriously. We concluded that disabling the app was the right course of action as this bug could allow someone to listen through another customer’s iPhone without consent. We apologize again for this issue and the inconvenience.

Apple was quick to take down the Walkie-Talkie app as it suffered from another eavesdropping bug recently that received major media attention. A serious Group FaceTime bug was discovered back in January, and when exploited, it allowed callers to hear a user’s audio even when the call had not been accepted–In that situation Apple did not remove the Group FaceTime feature until it had been publicized, despite the person who discovered the bug having submitted a report days before. Apple fixed the Group FaceTime bug after a week and a half, addressing it in iOS 12.1.4.

Now, it’s seems to have learned its lesson, handling the bug (reported on its vulnerability portal) promptly and taking action to mitigate it. If you’re not familiar, the Walkie Talkie app allows two users to send short push-to-talk chat messages to one another. It’s a nice way to reduce the complexity of using the Apple Watch as a full-featured communications tool, speeding up the process of sending messages, rather than using voice transcription.

The update is available now.

Related Posts:

  • apple-reuters-image-163135177316×9
    Apple Releases New Versions Of iOS, iPadOS, macOS And More
  • ios-18-1-header
    iOS 18.1 Developer Beta 7 Coming Later This Month
  • iOS-17
    The iOS 17 Arrives On Monday 18th September, Here…
  • WA_DEFAULT_MESSAGING_CALLING_APP_IOS
    iOS Update Lets WhatsApp Set as Default for Calls…
  • 05jBXON2yTBM68f1V1f2TU8-1
    iOS 18.3 Adds AI Device Support and Updates
  • Apple-WWDC22-iOS16-3up-hero-220606_big.jpg.large
    How To Download The iOS 16 Developer Beta To Try The…
  • iOS-16-Dictation-The-Apple-Post-960×640
    iOS 16 Brings Haptic Feedback To The iPhone’s Keyboard
  • apple-tv-4k-banner
    Apple TV App Design Get Updated With tvOS 18.4

Discover more from TechBooky

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Tags: Appleapple watchapple watch Walkie-TalkieiosiOS 12.1.4iOS 12.4Walkie-Talkie
Theresa Casimir

Theresa Casimir

New at TechBooky, write on important tech stuff from around the world

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

Select Category

    Receive top tech news directly in your inbox

    subscription from
    Loading

    Freshly Squeezed

    • Tech Hype vs. Reality – When Big Tech Missed the Mark Pt. 3 May 11, 2025
    • Google’s Antitrust Showdown, AI vs. Search, and other Headlines May 11, 2025
    • Huawei Officially Launches HarmonyOS for PC May 10, 2025
    • Canada Nears Launch of Instant Payment Technology May 10, 2025
    • Threads Adds Dashboard for Post & Account Limits May 10, 2025
    • Many X Users are Experiencing Timeline Update Issues May 10, 2025

    Browse Archives

    May 2025
    MTWTFSS
     1234
    567891011
    12131415161718
    19202122232425
    262728293031 
    « Apr    

    Popular Tags

    africa (135) AI (497) android (367) app (717) Apple (577) artificial intelligence (419) business (482) china (132) cryptocurrency (210) ecommerce (122) enterprise (287) facebook (507) fintech (244) funding (121) gadget (558) gaming (201) google (710) government (469) instagram (173) internet (467) ios (291) iphone (246) meta (116) microsoft (369) mobile (352) new feature (384) nigeria (440) privacy (158) research (140) samsung (185) security (421) smartphone (277) social media (836) software (509) startup (419) streaming (174) telecom (242) tips (372) twitter (289) united states (216) users (158) videos (127) website (173) whatsapp (201) youtube (138)

    Quick Links

    • About TechBooky
    • Advertise Here
    • Contact us
    • Submit Article
    • Privacy Policy

    About Us

    TechBooky

    TechBooky is a social Tech blog with a special focus on the budding African Technology sector. TechBooky is currently based in Abuja, Nigeria.

    Recent News

    Tech Hype vs. Reality – When Big Tech Missed the Mark Pt. 1

    Tech Hype vs. Reality – When Big Tech Missed the Mark Pt. 3

    May 11, 2025
    Google’s Antitrust Showdown, AI vs. Search, and other Headlines

    Google’s Antitrust Showdown, AI vs. Search, and other Headlines

    May 11, 2025
    Huawei Officially Launches HarmonyOS for PC

    Huawei Officially Launches HarmonyOS for PC

    May 10, 2025
    Canada Nears Launch of Instant Payment Technology

    Canada Nears Launch of Instant Payment Technology

    May 10, 2025
    Advertisement Coming to Threads from Next Year

    Threads Adds Dashboard for Post & Account Limits

    May 10, 2025
    Many X Users are Experiencing Timeline Update Issues

    Many X Users are Experiencing Timeline Update Issues

    May 10, 2025
    • Login

    © 2021 Design By Tech Booky Elite

    Generic selectors
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Post Type Selectors
    • African
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Gadgets
    • Metaverse
    • Tips
    • About TechBooky
    • Advertise Here
    • Submit Article
    • Contact us

    © 2021 Design By Tech Booky Elite

    Discover more from TechBooky

    Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

    Continue reading

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok