Update 5

Google has revealed in its latest update that the service has been restored for some of the users and that it is already aware what is causing the issue and is working to fix it. “We have since identified the problem and are currently applying a fix. We’re very sorry to anyone affected and will provide an update when full service is restored”, noted Google.

Update 4

Google has provided another update: “We are continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 9/26/13 9:30 PM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem. Earlier today we identified an issue with Google Talk messages sent between 22:00 PST and 01:30 PST. Any messages sent after 01:30 PST are unaffected.”

Update 3

Google has updated its apps status page with the following message: “Our team is continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 9/26/13 6:00 PM with more information about this problem. Thank you for your patience. The issue has been resolved and all services are gradually returning to normal. We will update when full service is restored.”

Update 2

Google has updated its apps status page with the following message: Our team is continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 9/26/13 4:30 PM with more information about this problem. Thank you for your patience. At this time Google Talk is not functioning correctly and we are continuing to work to restore full functionality.”

Update 1

Google is aware of the ongoing issues and put up a message on Google Apps service page that reads “We’re investigating reports of an issue with Google Talk. We will provide more information shortly.”

Original Story

An alleged bug in Google Talk/Hangouts is causing distress to users as messages sent using the app are being routed to wrong contacts altogether.

According to user reports flowing in on Google Product Forums, messages being sent to contact ‘Alice’ (hypothetically) are actually being sent to ‘Bob’. ‘Alice’ wouldn’t respond to the messages and instead ‘Bob’ will reply back asking about the messages which were not meant for him in the first place.

Users reporting this issue are seemingly using a combination of the chat facility on Gmail and Hangouts. The issue was first reported by Jeff Tsao and according to him, the issue resolved itself. But Tsao is concerned about the confidentiality of the messages being sent to wrong contacts. “But this seriously makes me doubt the confidentiality of anything I say to any of my contacts now” he notes.

As many as 20 users, as of this writing, have already reported similar occurrences in an hour. Many users have even provided screenshots as a proof and rightly so the bug can be confirmed from them.

“This is a serious privacy breach on GMail’s end and could have serious repercussions. My guess is that the recent updates to Hangouts could have caused some unknown bug”, notes Vinay Kola who reported the bug through his Google Plus post.

There has been no official word from Google as of this writing. We will update you with more information as and when it is available.

Developing…

[Image Credit: Vinay Kola]