Some Apps Can Record Your Voice Without Clear Permission, Experts Warn Users to Check Their Phones

A recent cybersecurity report has raised alarms about several mobile applications potentially recording user conversations without clear or active permission. The behavior, which involves accessing a phone’s microphone in the background, may pose serious risks to user privacy, experts say.

Researchers from Northeastern University and Imperial College London conducted a study analyzing over 17,000 Android apps. They discovered that a number of apps were capable of activating the device’s microphone even when the app was not being directly used. While the study did not find direct evidence of audio files being sent to external servers, the microphone access patterns observed were considered highly suspicious.

“The concern is not just about what’s being recorded, but the fact that access to the microphone is happening silently,” said David Choffnes, one of the researchers involved in the study.

Seemingly Innocent Apps May Be Risky

Apps posing as utilities such as flashlight tools, weather apps, or free voice recorders have previously been found to misuse permissions. One such app, Weather Forecast World Weather Accurate Radar, was flagged in 2023 by cybersecurity firm Avast for collecting user data excessively and running intrusive adware. Although it was removed from Google Play, the app had already been downloaded over 100,000 times globally.

Many of these apps request microphone access during installation and retain it indefinitely unless manually revoked by the user.

Privacy Advocates Urge Immediate Checks

Experts now urge users to audit their app permissions regularly. On Android devices, userrs can go to Settings > Privacy > Permission Manager > Microphone to view which apps have microphone access.

“If you find apps with microphone access that don’t need it like a photo editor or a calculator you should disable that permission immediately,” said a spokesperson from a digital privacy watchdog.

Cybersecurity experts also recommend the use of permission control apps and antivirus tools that can detect unusual app behavior. iOS users benefit from tighter app control, though vigilance is still advised.

Growing Need for Transparency

While app stores like Google Play and Apple App Store have strengthened privacy policies in recent years, experts believe more needs to be done to ensure transparency regarding how apps use sensitive permissions like microphone and camera access.

“Users are often unaware of what permissions they’ve granted or how they’re being used in the background,” said Choffnes. “This makes them vulnerable to privacy invasions that are technically legal but ethically questionable.”