HTC Inadvertently Shows Some Users Ads in its On-Screen Keyboard (Jul 17, 2017)

Users of some of HTC’s devices, apparently mostly the HTC 10, are seeing ads popping up above the on-screen keyboard. Apparently, the issue was created by the company which provides the keyboard on a white-label basis to HTC (and apparently quite a few other Android manufacturers) and which offers a version with ads as well. Though it’s not directly HTC’s fault (or its intention to show ads, contrary to what some seem to have assumed), it’s definitely a sign of poor quality control that something like this could have slipped through the cracks. And it’s also indicative of a broader issue, which is Android vendors installing and setting as default alternatives to the default features and apps on their devices, even when those features and apps add very little value for the user (and in some cases, such as this, actively detract from it). Google’s own default keyboard on Android is fine, and avoiding it for the sake of having something custom does very little to help users while exposing HTC to risks like this mishap.

via Engadget

The company, topic, and narrative tags below will take you to other posts with the same tags. The narrative link(s) will also take you to the narrative essay which provides additional context behind the post.

• HTC

• Advertising
• Quality
• Smartphones

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