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The issue of an iMessage bug has been doing round around the internet. So far, from multiple reports and sources, it has been confirmed that Apple’s messaging service, iMessage, does indeed have a bug. The bug lets a phone receive messages of a user even when that user has removed his SIM from the device. This can seriously compromise the privacy of a user. In one particular case, a person had her iPhone stolen and the culprit was able to receive her messages even when she had her SIM deactivated. She is now demanding compensation from Apple.

The customer, who is denoted as K to retain her privacy, has her iPhone stolen on November 13. Through the ‘Find My iPhone’ map, she sought police’s help in finding her iPhone. However, before the police could trace it, the device went off from the map. The only option for K was now to have her SIM deactivated, which she did.

However, her friends told her that they were still able to send her messages on her old, stolen device and that the messages were marked as ‘delivered’, so whoever had the stolen iPhone was able to receive all those messages.

K then contacted Apple and the company presented her with some very inconvenient options to ensure that no messages were received on her device. She was told reset her Apple ID and password and then go to a local store, have her SIM card placed in an iPhone device and activate it so that all new messages would then come on her new SIM. This was advised because K didn’t have an iOS device. K followed these instructions but it still didn’t solve the problem.

The issue continued till December 27th and then Apple’s team, somehow, was able to remotely push the ‘code’ out of the stolen iPhone so that it would no longer receive the messages. K, obviously, felt very disconcerted over the entire episode since it put her personal information, the messages, at risk and in the hands of a stranger.

K then contacted the Apple team to seek compensation for all that she had gone through and Apple team offered her an iPod Touch as compensation which K refused.

So far, is has not been confirmed whether or not K received any compensation or what was it. But what is evident in this entire episode that Apple’s iMessage service has some serious problem in that once you place a SIM in an iOS device, the device keeps receiving messages even after the SIM has been removed. This can seriously jeopardize a person’s personal information and Apple really needs to work on real soon.

Image courtesy Yutaka Tsutano.

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