Motorola fixes unintended affiliate redirect via Smart Feed

Motorola has confirmed that an unintended software behavior on some of its smartphones was briefly intercepting users' attempts to open the Amazon Shopping app and redirecting them through an affiliate link. The company stated the issue has now been corrected.

The problem, first identified by users on online forums, affected certain devices when the Amazon app was launched from the app drawer. Instead of opening directly, the action would trigger a brief, nearly imperceptible flash of the Chrome browser, routing the user through an intermediary website before landing on Amazon's site with an appended affiliate code. This behavior did not occur when opening the app from a homescreen shortcut.

Motorola attributed the issue to its pre-installed Smart Feed app, developed in partnership with the advertising technology firm Device Native. In a statement, the company said the redirect was an unintended consequence of a routing configuration and that it has been fixed. Independent verification confirms the redirect is no longer occurring on previously affected devices.

However, several unanswered questions remain. The redirect passed through a website named kiraabboud.com, which is...