Question Casino Apps have shown up on my Pixel - ARGH!

[bardiferous]

This weekend, I found a Casino app (forgot exactly what the name was) on my phone that I did not request.

Today, I see Lightning Link (from the initial screen, it's also a casino app) as well. I only use apps that either came with the phone or come from the Play Store. I guess I need to report this somehow? Any one know how these apps just showed up?

Help!

 

[B. Diddy]

Which phone do you have, and what carrier is it on?

 

[bardiferous]

That would matter? Pixel 7a and Consumer Cellular.

 

[B. Diddy]

That would matter? Pixel 7a and Consumer Cellular.

It can in some situations. Phones sold by the big carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile can come with preinstalled apps that "conveniently" offer the user the ability to automatically install a selection of apps the carrier "thinks" you'd like (in other words, it's bloatware they get paid for). But as far as I know, Consumer Cellular doesn't do this.

It's possible that some app you installed might be able to install another app on its own, but I'm not sure if current Android security protocols should be able to prevent this. If you uninstall this app, does it come back eventually?

Among the other 3rd party apps you installed, are any of them gallery apps, file explorers, flashlight apps, music/movie downloaders, or gambling apps? These are some of the categories where it's more likely to find apps with shady practices.

 

[mustang7757]

Sometimes carrier devices add bloat like this , Att is on if the notorious ones

 

[Golfdriver97]

That would matter?

For the longest time, a lot of carrier-branded phones had auto downloads for trash apps like that. Not saying that's the case here, but probably why B. Diddy asked.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Do you play or have any games from Big Fish Games? Apparently the company Aristocrat is the parent company.

 

[bardiferous]

I hear you (all) about bloatware; I do my best to avoid it.

There is one game (replaypoker.com - and not to play, simply to gather a daily bonus by signing in) I sign into via Chrome, not via any app.

I wonder if I accidentally clicked on a link but, really, I'd be very surprised if this Replay Poker site (just recently relocated to casino.org) puts links to surreptitiously add competitors' apps on customers' devices.

I did a full look at all of my installed apps and do not see any other casino app or any app, for that matter, that isn't Google's that I didn't download myself. And neither of those two casino apps have reappeared after I deleted them.

If something else pops up, I will report back here ASAP.

 

[B. Diddy]

It looks like Replay Poker has a fairly robust community forum: https://forum.casino.org/ You could try asking there if anyone has experienced an unwanted app installataion.