Samsung inadvertently creeped out smartphone users with a mysterious numerical message from an app used to locate lost devices.
According to a new report from the BBC, thousands of Samsung Galaxy device owners in the past few hours have reported receiving a strange message from the Korean phone maker that displays a “1” above another “1.”
The issue appears to have been caused by a bug, or a test within Samsung’s system. But the unusual wording and the app that sent it led many to panic and worry their phone had been compromised.
“Anyone else get that find my mobile push notification that just about gave me a heart attack?” one user wrote on Twitter. “Jesus christ Samsung.”
Why did my Samsung give me a Find My Mobile notification that just said 1 1? pic.twitter.com/BqSEFwkuA1
— :3 (@SketchShiba) February 20, 2020
The message has been sent to a wide range of Samsung smartphones, with everything from the Galaxy S8 to the brand-new Galaxy Z Flip confirmed as having received the message. However, it’s unlikely to be anything sinister.
Samsung wasn’t able to confirm the message’s purpose for certain but has stated they expect it is just a test to make sure services are still working as expected.
This notification was confirmed as a message sent unintentionally during internal testing and there is no effect on your device. Samsung apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused to our customers and will work to prevent similar cases from occurring in the future. ^CC
— Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) February 20, 2020
The Samsung Find My Mobile app is primarily used to find lost or stolen phones, and it’s unlikely most people will interact with it until they absolutely need to know about it — which is probably why the notification has caused such a stir.
