Samsung explains creepy ‘1’ notification that sent users into panic

Andrew Griffin
Thursday 20 February 2020 13:11 GMT
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Samsung users scared after being sent ‘creepy’ phone notification

Samsung has explained a "creepy" notification that was sent to its users worldwide.

The message ready only "1" but spread panic among those who received it, since it was sent from an app that can be used to track a phone's location or remove the information stored on it.

The company said that it was sent "inadvertently" and that there would be no lasting effects for users.

"The notification was inadvertently sent to a limited number of Galaxy devices," it said.

"We can assure our users that this notification does not affect their devices in any way. We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience this may have caused and will ensure that a similar incident doesn't occur in the future."

Samsung did not explain how the message was sent or how many users were affected.

In recent hours, Samsung Galaxy owners found their phones lighting up with a notification reading only "1". If they tried to open it or interact with it, it disappeared.

That led to extra concern given there was nothing to indicate where the message had come from, or what it might have meant.

"I got this weird 'find my mobile' notif and my dumb ass clicked on it and nothing happened but I'm lowkey creeped out now," one user wrote on Twitter.

The "1" message came from the Find My Mobile app, which is installed on Samsung phones to allow their users to track down their devices when they go missing, or lock them down if they are stolen.

Because it is able to track the location of the device and erase the files stored on it, some users worried that the notification could be indicative of a hack or a bug, which could mean their phone had been compromised.

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