Motorola says it has fixed a software bug that caused some devices to briefly open a browser window and route users through affiliate tracking links before launching the Amazon Shopping app.
The company described the behavior as “unintended” in a statement to Android Authority, attributing it to a routing configuration error inside Smart Feed, a pre-installed content recommendation app on Motorola devices.
What happened
Users first flagged the issue earlier this week after noticing that tapping the Amazon Shopping app did not open it directly. Instead, devices loaded a browser window first, passed traffic through a tracking link, then landed in the app.
Researchers who examined network traffic found that Smart Feed appeared to intercept app launches and redirect them through affiliate links — tracking codes that can generate commissions when purchases follow. Analysis tied the behavior to domains connected to Motorola’s advertising and content partners.
Reports surfaced primarily from users in the United States, including owners of the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra, a high-end foldable phone. The full scope of affected devices remains unclear.
Company response
Motorola said in its statement that the routing configuration has since been corrected and that apps should now open normally. The company said it “takes user experience, privacy, and platform integrity seriously” and will “continue to closely monitor the system to ensure expected behavior across devices.”
What the company did not address is how affiliate-link infrastructure became embedded in the app launch pathway in the first place. Motorola characterized the redirects as unintentional but offered no explanation for why Smart Feed had any connection to affiliate tracking systems.
The behavior appears tied to a recent Smart Feed update, though Motorola has not confirmed that detail directly.
Background
Smart Feed is pre-installed software — commonly called bloatware — that ships on Motorola handsets to surface content and recommendations. Users Who want to disable it can do so through the phone’s app settings by navigating to Apps, selecting Smart Feed, and tapping Disable.
Pre-installed apps on Android devices operate with a level of system access that standard downloaded apps do not automatically receive. That access has drawn scrutiny from privacy researchers in past cases involving other manufacturers.
The affiliate marketing model at the center of this incident works by appending tracking codes to web traffic or purchase flows. When a user completes a transaction after passing through such a link, the link owner can collect a commission from the retailer — in this case, potentially Amazon.
Motorola has not said whether any commissions were collected during the period the misconfiguration was active, nor whether the behavior affected any transactions.
