Users of Android phones and tablets are put on high alert because of a very popular app that can quietly drain their bank accounts.
Owners of Android smartphones are used to warnings from security researchers. Despite the great efforts made by Google, malware, ransomware, and software tools continue to infiltrate its store, and find their way to the public due to the great popularity of Android.
The last of these apps, is a popular app called “SnapTube”, is known as an easy way to download videos from YouTube and Facebook, and has been downloaded more than 40 million times.
A new report from the “Upstream Systems” company, which are concerned with smart phone security, that users who have downloaded the SnapTube app on their smartphones, may find themselves paying a heavy price, because this application quietly registers users to obtain premium services without their knowledge.
This practice is known as a ( fleeceware ), I.e. blackmailing app developers for smartphone and tablet users and making profits by charging a subscription fee for those applications in their beta phase or simply by subscribing to them.
Google allows third-party developers to charge the credit or debit card saved in Google’s account, to enable some of the most popular services, such as “Netflix”, to work seamlessly with users of Android smartphones and tablets.
Android application users can usually cancel the trial period manually, to avoid charging fees for the full subscription.
However, the vast majority of users simply uninstall the app, when they are not interested or want to avoid moving to the non-free subscription.
Some people may forget that they have even subscribed to a trial subscription within the applications, when they remove them from their Android smartphones or tablets.
And if you downloaded “SnapTube” to quickly download a video on “YouTube” or “Facebook” and then delete the application and forget it, you may have inadvertently registered for a premium service from the developer.
Huge Profits
It is estimated that SnapTube has already earned through its fraudulent activities nearly $ 100 million from users.
When highlighting this practice, ( Mobiuspace ) company – the developer of the application ” SnapTube ” and a number of other successful applications – claimed that it was not aware of the problem, and that any unwanted fees for customers due to a third-party application, which is being contacted by SnapTube , which was apparently rejected by Google , Where it is now removed SnapTube from Google Play”.
And of course, removing SnapTube from Google Store means that new Android smartphones and tablets will not be able to download the application.
And if you previously downloaded “SnapTube” and noticed some unusual fees emerging from your current account, you should run the “Play Store” application on your phone and click on the menu button in the upper left corner of the screen.
Then go to subscriptions and search for anything associated with SnapTube and select it, then press Cancel Subscription and follow the instructions on the screen to get rid of fees that can be withdrawn from your account without your knowledge.