FaceApp Stopped Working for Users, VPN Helps Them Access it Again

The app ran into privacy-related controversy earlier this week, after millions of users decided to see them ageing.

The popular app is under fire for privacy concerns.

(Photo: AP/Jenny Kane)

The controversial age-morphing platform FaceApp was failing to open for many users on Android and iOS earlier this week. The app has recently exploded in popularity for showing users what they might look like when they’re old.

Many users on 17 July complained that the interface of the app was showing the message, “Something went wrong, please try again.” And this triggered a massive outburst on the social media on Wednesday this week.

The issue seems have to been fixed as of 18 July, and both Android and iOS versions of the app are now opening in the country.

We reached out to FaceApp for an official response on the issue, and will update this story with their response.

Many people on Wednesday this week saw this while opening the app.(Photo: FaceApp error message)

Many users who reached out for solutions were told to open the app using virtual private network (VPN) tools that are freely available on Android and iOS app stores. With VPN apps, users were able to sign in to the platform from other countries (mirroring their IP address).

Interestingly, many have suggested that a surge in traffic on the platform could have resulted in heavy load on the servers of FaceApp. This message from the service desk at FaceApp sort of gave us an idea.

“We’re sorry to hear that you’ve faced troubles with our app. We’re doing our best to perform maintenance on the servers as quickly and effectively as possible. Meanwhile, there might be issues such as “Api request error 6” or other loading problems.”

FaceApp service desk 

In technical terms, ‘performing maintenance’ is only required when the servers are loading way beyond their capacity.

It’s like letting in 100 people into a bus, when it can only accommodate 50 of them at a time.

Which is why using VPN allowed users from India to access the app, letting them connect through countries where the app behaviour was fairly normal, for the platform to let in more users to the app.

Besides not working, cyber experts have pointed to the privacy issues plaguing the app.

The Quint went through the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use of FaceApp and found many sections that raise major concerns, including about the app collecting  users’ browsing history.

While there is no denying the ‘fun’ part of the app, to understand the issue of harm, it is wise to take a step back and consider what the app does with our facial images and data.

And because the Privacy Policy explicitly states that it collects information from “cookies, log files, device identifiers, location data, and usage data” – this is all personally identifiable information – it should be concerning to all users who’ve tried the app, as

What Are the Privacy Concerns for Users?

• Data is vulnerable to be exploited by third-party companies and developers
• Photos stored on their server can be used without seeking user’s permission
• User’s web browsing history could be shared with advertisers for commercial purposes

After all the furore around its privacy policies, the company has finally managed to inform users as to what they intend to do with the photos accessed, and how they will do it.

Now, while opening the app, you’ll see the message (as seen above), which says ‘photo will be uploaded to its server for image processing.’

Now the platform is informing users what it actually does with their photos.(Photo: FaceApp screen grab)

And if you don’t agree to these terms, the app won’t move to the next step for the user. Honestly, this should have been communicated much before controversy hit the company but I guess, better late than never.