Sex toy company admits its vibrators ‘secretly recorded intimate sessions’

Lovense blames 'software bug' after users discover intimate audio recordings stored without their knowledge

(Lovense)

A sex toy company has admitted its vibrators have been secretly recording users' intimate sessions.

Lovense blamed a "minor software bug" after users discovered its remote-controlled vibrator app was recording sound files and storing them on their phones.

The issue first came to light in a post on Reddit.

"The Lovense remote control vibrator app... seems to be recording while the vibrator is on," wrote user tydoctor.

They added: "I was going through my phone media to prepare it for a factory reset and came across a .3gp file named 'tempSoundPlay.3gp' in the folder for the app. The file was a full audio recording 6 minutes long of the last time I had used the app to control my [partner's] remote control vibrator.

"At no time had I wanted the app to record entire sessions using the vibrator."

Other Reddit users reported finding similar audio files saved on their devices. Some feared recordings of their sex sessions had been sent to Lovense's servers through the internet-connected and Bluetooth-enabled app.

A response from the company's official Reddit account described the issue as a "minor software bug".

"Your concern is completely understandable," it said. "But rest assured, no information or data is sent to our servers. This cache file currently remains on you phone instead of deleting itself once your session is finished."

The company said the bug only affected iOS devices and not Android.

In a later update to its post, Lovense said the glitch had been fixed in the latest version of the app.

Last month security researchers said they were able to hack into a bluetooth-enabled butt plug manufactured by Lovense.