Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Have you received some odd push notifications on your OnePlus phone? Perhaps messages with random jumbled English letters or other characters, that make no sense? If so, don’t worry, your phone hasn’t been hacked or compromised in some way, it’s a mistake on OnePlus’s part. The company tweeted about the mix-up after OnePlus phone owners started posting pictures of the strange notifications, concerned there was a security issue.
OnePlus says it has been carrying out an internal test, where a global push notification was accidentally sent out to some OnePlus 7 Pro owners. “We would like to apologize for any difficulties, and assure you that our team is currently investigating the error,” OnePlus wrote. The company soon followed up the tweet with more information on its official forum.
The tests were apparently routine aspects of the future Android Q software update from OnePlus, and it would normally use the push notification system to gain feedback. OnePlus reassures those who own its phones that there was no risk to personal data, and that it is putting new processes in place to make sure the same problem cannot happen again.
Push notifications
Based on the replies to original the tweet, OnePlus owners from all over the world have received the push notifications. Some reported that when the notification was tapped, it opened the web browser only to return a “Page not found” message, so there doesn’t appear to be any danger if you accidentally interact with the message. OnePlus’s speedy admission of guilt has made it easy for owners to happily dismiss the notification, without worrying their phone has been compromised in some way.
The mystery OnePlus notification comes just a few weeks after Huawei hit the news with unwanted ads showing up on some phones that use its Magazine Unlock feature, where the lock screen image changes each time the screen wakes up. It was only after investigation that Huawei informed owners that the booking.com ads were part of an internal test that accidentally hit private phones. These two incidents show alterations can be made to the way your phone works by companies and app developers, if you provide permission.
OnePlus launched the OnePlus 7 Pro in May, alongside the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 5G. Don’t let the surprise push notification put you off buying one if you’re still not decided. Like Huawei’s test, it will likely not happen again. The phone is also excellent, and benefits from regular software updates to improve the camera and other aspects of the phone. It’s available now, with prices starting at $670.
Updated on July 1, 2019: Added further information from OnePlus.
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