Leave it to wireless carriers to come up with new ways to give you something that you never asked for. Forbes contributor Matt Hickey reports that a company called Digital Turbine has pioneered a new service called Ignite that will let mobile carriers install additional software onto your Android phone “for more advertising revenue” whenever they want and without your permission. This means that in addition to the bloatware you already get from your carrier on your Android phone, you could get even more installed at your carrier’s whims.
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So far, Digital Turbine says that Verizon and T-Mobile have signed up as clients although we don’t specifically know if any of them are using Ignite to spam out more bloatware yet. Even so, Hickey reports that some Android users have been reporting getting Ignite installed on their devices in recent days.
“Some users have as recently as this week claimed that they were pushed updates called ‘DT_Ignite’ for ‘performance enhancements,'” writes Hickey. “The update apparently asks for permission to access almost any part of the phone’s system, making it not just annoying but also potentially dangerous.”
There are apparently two main ways to avoid this: Rooting your Android phone or simply rejecting all carrier-issued software updates.
You should check out Hickey’s full report on how carriers can install more bloatware onto your Android phone by clicking the source link below.
