Call teardown is the process of ending a live call completely: closing its session, releasing audio or video resources, and stopping media streams. It involves both signaling between participants and the local handling of devices such as microphones and cameras. A call is not fully torn down if the interface shows it as ended while media continues to flow.
In cybersecurity and privacy, reliable teardown matters because a failure can leave audio or video active after a user hangs up. This is a session-management problem, not necessarily a failure of encryption. In real-time communication software, defenses include correctly coordinating call-state changes with media shutdown, testing interrupted and unusual call endings, and promptly applying verified updates. Users should keep calling apps current and check device indicators if a call appears not to end normally.