Software
An Instagram bug revealed a 'camera on' indicator for iOS 14 devices even though users did not take pictures
In the latest instance of the beta-mode tattling of iOS 14 over unexpected app behavior, some users reported seeing the green "camera on" indicator while using Instagram when they were just scrolling through their feeds, not taking a photo or video.
In an email to The Verge, an Instagram spokesperson said the activity was a bug and it's being repaired. The Build Mode app is accessible from the Instagram camera that may turn the camera indicator off, and it could also be tripped up by swipping into the app's Camera from Feed.
Only when you tell us to access your camera — for example, when you swipe from Feed to Camera ...We found and are fixing a bug in iOS 14 Beta which mistakenly indicates that some people use the camera when they are not, said the spokesperson. In those instances, we don't access your camera, and no content is recorded.
The behavior seems to be yet another of the offensive new user updates from iOS 14, which alerts users to device habits such as copying clipboards. Several iOS apps, including TikTok, LinkedIn, and Reddit, have been discovered to access clipboard content for users, as a notification pops up whenever a third-party app accesses a device's clipboard with iOS 14.
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance based in Beijing, said earlier this year it was planning to stop accessing clipboards for the devices. Last month the company told The Verge it had submitted an update to the App Store to remove the feature it described as a "anti-spam" tool. The firm said the feature has never been added to smartphones running Android. LinkedIn said it stopped the practice of clipboard-copying and Reddit said it fixed a piece of code which caused the behavior in its app.
Last year, Instagram's parent company Facebook patched a bug in its iOS app that seemed to be turning on cameras of smartphones in the background without knowledge of users.
