Originally discovered by the 14-year old Grant Thompson although it took quite a while for Apple to respond which has since attracted some attention from the authorities, the company shut down the Group FaceTime feature through a server-side implementation as a temporary measure once the news of the bug started to spread.
The fix comes in the form of iOS 12.1.4 patch for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch 6th gen while Mac users are able to obtain it via macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Supplemental Update. Apple has also noted that these patches also include a fix for a vulnerability that affects the Live Photos feature of FaceTime app which the company has discovered while working to tackle the Group FaceTime issue. Following the release of these patches, the system status page on Apple’s website has also been updated to reflect the situation. Meanwhile, do note that the Group FaceTime will not be available to users that didn’t upgrade to the latest version of iOS and macOS. (Source: Apple – 1, 2, 3)
