Ever since Apple launched the iOS 11 last year, it has been taking the flak. The iOS 11 has been riddled with so many bugs and half-baked functionality that some of the users preferred to stick to the previous version. Things started looking brighter after the iOS 11.1.3 update but things have tanked once again. The latest update, iOS 11.2.6 has some terrible UI issues and fails to address the battery drain issue. That apart, a new bug discovered by Mac Magazine seems to be the most notorious one.
The new bug is not about a botched up functionality but it is something that can be used to spy on others notifications. You can simply set the “Show Previews” feature set to display only “When unlocked.” This will hide the content of your notifications on the lock screen. This, however, can be bypassed by using Siri.
According to Mac Magazine Siri was able to read out hidden messages from third-party apps like Signal and WhatsApp on iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus, both of which are running the latest iOS 11.2.6. I tried out the same on my iPhone 7 also running the latest iOS and Siri read out all my hidden messages on notifications without unlocking my phone. In my case, Siri could not only read messages from Signal and WhatsApp but also from Gmail and other third-party app notifications.
That being said, this issue only seems to affect third-party apps since Siri didn’t read out SMS notifications. This is a serious bug since it effectively removes a layer of security. Recently a hacker had demoed how he could break into a Windows PC by using Cortana. Such design flaws in Digital Assistants will only make it more dangerous and thus override the usability.
Apple has already issued a statement that says it is “aware” of the bug and is currently working on a fix. They further assured that the same will be fixed in the upcoming software update. As of now, you can fix this issue by disabling Siri while your iOS device is locked.