WhatsApp has confirmed that an Android bug is causing it to appear as if the messaging app is accessing some users' microphones in the background. Google has also said it is investigating the issue.

Users Flag WhatsApp Microphone Access

The issue caught the attention of a lot more users when Twitter engineer Foad Dabiri tweeted that the app had been accessing his phone's microphone at night.

This tweet was boosted by Twitter owner Elon Musk, who said in a quote tweet that WhatsApp cannot be trusted.

However, the bug has also been previously flagged by WABetaInfo, which reported on the bug in April 2023.

WhatsApp Says Bug Is Causing Access Notifications

The tweets from Dabiri and Musk appear to have prompted WhatsApp to make a statement on its own Twitter feed.

In its tweet, the company said:

"Over the last 24 hours we’ve been in touch with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp. We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate."

It added that when granted access permission, WhatsApp will only use the phone's microphone when you make a call or record a voice note or video using the app. It also highlighted the end-to-end encryption technology the app uses, saying that WhatsApp would not be able to access these recordings and calls.

But if you don't want to just take WhatsApp's word on faith alone, Google has also said that it is aware of the issue.

According to Engadget, a Google spokesperson said the following in a statement:

"We are aware of the issue and are working closely with WhatsApp to investigate."

If you're still concerned about whether apps are accessing your microphone or camera in the background, you can use the Privacy Dashboard on Android to track what different apps are accessing.

WhatsApp and Google Are Working on the Bug

Both WhatsApp and Google have confirmed that a bug appears to be causing Android to flag WhatsApp as accessing your microphone in the background. But if you're still worried, you have the option to remove microphone access from the app entirely, though this will cause certain features to not work.