Apple said over the weekend that it had fixed a security flaw in iPhones that allowed people to call another iPhone via FaceTime and listen in on conversations even if the recipient didn't answer, resolving an alarming vulnerability that undermined the company's public commitment to security. A software update will be released next week, the company said.

The new update will allow owners of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers to re-enable Group FaceTime, the feature that had allowed the potential eavesdropping, Apple said.

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Apple's response came four days after the flaw was widely reported, and nearly two weeks since the company was alerted by a concerned customer. Before fixing the bug, the company raced to disable Group FaceTime, which allows people to video chat with several people.

A teenager in the US discovered that he could listen to a friend via Group FaceTime on January 19, even if the friend didn't answer the call. His mother repeatedly tried to flag the issue to Apple but the company was slow to respond.