Some Motorola phones have been behaving suspiciously lately | Image by PhoneArena
It's one thing to misstep and click on a malicious link or install a shady app, but it's a completely different matter when a big phone manufacturer might be involved in questionable practices. 9to5Google reports that Motorola phones have started to hijack the Amazon app and insert strange affiliate links without people's knowledge and consent.
Motorola phones are injecting Amazon affiliate links
The strange behavior was first reported in a Reddit thread. "I noticed something weird happening lately on my Razr 60 Ultra: when I tried to open the Amazon app, it would instead open the browser and send me to some sketchy-looking URL, which then redirects to amazon.com with an affiliate code," writes the user Trypocopris on the Android subreddit.
Trypocopris used an ADB log to trace the culprit, which appears to be the Smart Feed app that comes preinstalled on many Motorola phones.
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Our colleagues at 9to5Google managed to replicate the behavior and show it in a YouTube video (embedded below).
It's a very fast and subtle thing — when launched from the app drawer, the Amazon app opens a browser for a split second and then returns to the app with a strange affiliate code in the URL.
Have you noticed anything strange on your Motorola device lately?
The latest Smart Feed update is the culprit
The site devicenative.com deals in personalized smartphone ads | Image by Devicenative
It turns out the latest Smart Feed version, v2.03.0070, is the culprit behind this strange behavior, as the v2.03.0056 doesn't do anything of the sort. 9to5Google also tried to sideload the app and weren't able to replicate the behavior, which is even more bizarre.
Digging even deeper, it turns out that the Motorola phones that display this abhorrent behavior also make requests to a site called devicenative.com, a site that offers personalized on-device ads and has a partnership with Motorola. The document concerning this Moto integration has since been deleted, and the URL https://docs.devicenative.com/moto-integration/ returns a 404 error.
The specific affiliate links injected into the Moto phones in question are tied to a fashion influencer called Kira Abboud, but it's not clear how and why these links have found their way to some Motorola devices.
Motorola hasn't made any official statements on the subject, but we're still waiting.
I have a Motorola phone. Can I turn this thing off?
You can simply disable the Smart Feed app | Image by 9to5Google
Yes, you can! Even though the Smart Feed app comes pre-installed on Motorola phones, you can still disable it. Just open Settings > Apps > search for “Smart Feed” > Disable. This should stop the redirects without any significant impact on your device's performance.
You can also check the version of the app and see if it's the latest and problematic one, but disabling it altogether for the time being seems like the wisest option.
Is Motorola setting itself for a huge scandal?
That's unlikely. This behavior is quite strange and Motorola wouldn't risk being caught doing shady things behind it users' backs. Needless to say, this might result in a massive Class action lawsuit. It's much more likely that a malicous third-party has somehow hacked the Smart Feed app and injected those codes, but this also is nothing more than a speculation.
Let's not point the finger at Motorola straight away and wait for further developments. Meanwhile, check your Moto phones and report any abhorrent behavior of the Amazon app in the comments below.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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