A new report has raised serious questions about how some Motorola phones may be handling Amazon links in the background. According to findings shared by 9to5Google and users on Reddit, certain Motorola devices appear to be injecting affiliate tracking codes into Amazon app launches without the user’s knowledge.
While this may look like a small technical issue on the surface, it highlights a much bigger problem affecting both users and online publishers.
The issue was first spotted by a Reddit user who noticed strange redirects while opening the Amazon app on a Motorola Razr 60 Ultra. Instead of directly opening Amazon, the phone briefly launched a browser window with a suspicious-looking URL before redirecting back to Amazon with an affiliate code attached.
The user reportedly used ADB logs to trace the behavior and found that the pre-installed Smart Feed app was responsible.
9to5Google later replicated the issue and showed the behavior in a video demonstration. According to the report, Smart Feed version 2.03.0070 appears to trigger the redirects, while older versions reportedly do not.
The report also claims affected devices were making requests to a domain called “devicenative.com,” a company associated with personalized on-device advertising and Motorola partnerships.
This controversy is not just about affiliate links. It also affects the wider publishing ecosystem.
Many independent publishers and tech websites spend hours researching products, testing devices, writing detailed buying guides, comparing specifications, and helping readers make informed purchase decisions. Affiliate revenue often helps support that work.
When browser extensions, apps, or even smartphone-level software silently replace affiliate tracking links, the original publisher loses the commission despite doing the actual work that influenced the purchase.
This is not a new problem either. Over the years, several shady browser extensions and software tools have been caught replacing affiliate links in the background. Some extensions inject their own tracking IDs into shopping links, while certain apps and devices reportedly route users through hidden redirects before opening shopping platforms.
For publishers, this directly impacts revenue and undermines the trust-based affiliate ecosystem.
What makes this case more concerning is how subtle the behavior appears to be. According to reports, the redirect happens within a split second, making it almost impossible for average users to notice.
That raises important questions around transparency and consent. Users generally expect a pre-installed system app to improve functionality, not silently redirect shopping traffic through affiliate tracking systems.
At the moment, there is no evidence suggesting Motorola intentionally designed the feature for malicious purposes. Some reports speculate that a third-party integration or compromised component could be responsible, but that remains unconfirmed.
Motorola has not yet released an official statement regarding the issue.
Users who want to stop the redirects can disable the Smart Feed app manually.
Steps:
- Open Settings
- Go to Apps
- Search for “Smart Feed”
- Tap Disable
Disabling the app reportedly stops the redirects without affecting normal phone performance.
