Samsung users have been receiving a bizarre “Find My Mobile” notification - here’s what happened
Samsung users got an unwelcome surprise on Wednesday 19 February when a mystery notification popped up on their devices.
It came from the “Find My Mobile” app but its contents left many users scratching their heads as to what exactly was going on.
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Hide AdHere’s everything you need to know about the recent glitch.
What is the Find My Mobile app?
Samsung’s “Find My Mobile” app simply allows users to remotely locate a smartphone or tablet via its GPS location.
Most major mobile companies now have an equivalent app, which has proven highly useful for those in the habit of misplacing devices.
As well as helping users track down their lost phones, Samsung’s app allows you to remotely lock the screen and block access to Samsung Pay – ideal if you’re worried the device may have been stolen.
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Hide AdYou can also remotely back up data stored on the device to the cloud, ensuring that even if the phone cannot be recovered, its contents can.
Given how much the app has access to, it’s unsurprising that many users were freaked out to find a mysterious notification popping up on their phones.
What was the glitch?
Users around the world were confused when Samsung’s “Find My Mobile” app sent them an unexpected notification.
The message contained just two 1s, one above the other and doesn’t appear to say anything beyond that. Tapping it simply closes the notification shade.
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Hide AdIt appears to have affected a wide range of Samsung devices, including the brand new Z Flip foldable, as well as the Note 10+, Galaxy S, Galaxy A and Galaxy J smartphones.
Strangest of all, even Samsung users who didn’t have the “Find My Mobile” app installed on their device received the bizarre notification from it.
What have Samsung said about it?
Around three hours after the notifications appeared, Samsung confirmed that it had been sent out by accident during an internal test.
The company confirmed that it would have no effect on any customer’s device and apologised for the inconvenience.
A post from the company’s UK Help account read:
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Hide Ad“Recently, a notification about “Find My Mobile 1” occurred on a limited number of Galaxy devices. This was sent unintentionally during an internal test and there is no effect on your device. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers”
Can the app be disabled?
The brief fear that the “Find My Mobile” app may have been hacked will likely have been enough to make some users consider axing it, at least for the time being.
To turn off the app, simply follow these steps:
- Open the “Settings” app
- Got to “Biometrics and Security”
- Turn off “Find My Mobile” by adjusting the toggle next to it
You will be able to re-activate the app just as easily, whenever you want to.
This article originally appeared on our sister site, The i.