Apple Inc said on Monday (Jan 28) that it will issue a software patch later this week for a bug that lets iPhone users hear audio from users that have not yet accepted a video call.



The bug, which Reuters was able to replicate, allows an iPhone user placing a call using Apple's FaceTime video calling feature to hear audio from the recipient's phone even if the recipient has not yet picked up the call. The bug appears to rely on Apple's group video calling feature.



Apple announced the feature last summer, but then removed it from early test versions of its iOS 12 operating system. Apple released the feature to the public in late October.

"We're aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.



In recent weeks, Apple shares have been hammered on concerns that its best days are over, with smartphone sales slipping and no new "big thing" on the horizon.

Amid turbulence in the tech sector, Apple has lost its trillion-dollar status and slid behind rivals Microsoft and Amazon on the list of most valuable corporations.



The California tech giant has been trying to shift focus to growth in the side of its business devoted to selling music, movies, apps, and services to the vast "install base" of Apple gadget owners as well as via other internet-linked devices.

Apple delivered a stunning admission earlier this month that iPhone sales and overall revenues would be below most forecasts, citing economic weakness in China and trade frictions between Washington and Beijing.