Motorola phones began redirecting users who tapped the Amazon app icon. A brief browser window would flash open. Then the device landed on Amazon anyway. But not before an affiliate tracking code slipped in. The behavior surfaced this week on high-end models including the Razr 60 Ultra and even the $1,900 Razr Fold. Users noticed it only when launching from the app drawer. Taps from the home screen stayed clean.
The discovery started with a detailed Reddit post. One owner of a Razr 60 Ultra grew suspicious after repeated odd redirects. He pulled ADB logs and traced the activity straight to a preinstalled system app called Smart Feed. That app, version 2.03.0070, had received a recent update. Older versions did not trigger the same chain. The original Reddit thread laid out the evidence in plain log entries.
Smart Feed would intercept the launch intent. It queried devicenative.com, a service focused on on-device personalized ads. The response pointed to kira-abboud.com. That domain funneled traffic to Amazon with the affiliate tag “sramz-kff-008-20”. The code appeared tied to fashion influencer Kira Abboud, known online as @kirasfashionfinds. Yet the specific tag did not match any links she had publicly shared. The whole sequence lasted less than a second. Many owners never saw it.
Fast. Almost invisible. And active on stock Motorola software across multiple 2026 devices.
9to5Google replicated the behavior on a Razr Fold. Their testing confirmed the redirect only fired from the app drawer. Launching Amazon from a homescreen shortcut or deep link avoided the detour. The site also documented how disabling Smart Feed stopped the activity completely. Go to Settings, find Apps, select Smart Feed and hit Disable. The phone kept running normally. No obvious side effects appeared. 9to5Google first reported the hijack on May 25, 2026.
DeviceNative had previously published integration guides for Motorola phones. Those pages described ways to deliver targeted content and ads directly on Moto devices. By late May the documentation had vanished. Visitors now see a 404 error. The sudden disappearance added to the mystery. Why route Amazon app opens through a third-party ad service at all?
PhoneArena noted the partnership between Motorola and DeviceNative centered on personalized smartphone ads. The affiliate injection looked like an extension of that arrangement gone sideways. Some speculated it started as an experiment in monetizing default launcher behaviors. Others saw echoes of past manufacturer overreach such as the 2015 Superfish incident on Lenovo laptops. In both cases preloaded software quietly altered user traffic for commercial gain. PhoneArena covered the monetization angle on May 26.
Android Authority, Android Police and Android Headlines all picked up the story within 24 hours. The volume of coverage forced a response. Motorola issued a statement calling the routing “unintended.” The company said it had already corrected the launcher configuration. Future updates would prevent any pre-launch web detour before opening the Amazon app. No affiliate code would attach. Motorola emphasized its commitment to user privacy and said the change carried no impact on device performance. The Verge published Motorola’s full statement on May 27.
Yet the episode leaves questions. How did an update to a hidden system app reach production with this behavior intact? Who selected the specific affiliate tag and why did it point to an influencer whose own links used different codes? DeviceNative’s role in feeding configuration data to Smart Feed suggests the system was designed to accept dynamic instructions about which apps to intercept. That flexibility now looks risky when applied to shopping destinations.
Users on X reacted with a mix of irritation and dark humor. Several posted videos showing the split-second browser flash on their own Razr devices. Others advised immediate disabling of Smart Feed and recommended reviewing all preinstalled Motorola apps. One thread compared the tactic to adware common on budget Android devices from lesser-known brands. The surprise came from seeing it on premium foldables sold at flagship prices.
The fix arrived quickly. Motorola pushed a configuration change that restored direct app launches. Smart Feed no longer consults devicenative.com for Amazon. But the incident highlights a broader tension. Manufacturers preload software to differentiate their devices and sometimes to generate revenue. When that software touches core shopping flows without clear disclosure, trust erodes. Android’s open nature lets owners disable or remove the offending component. Not every platform offers that escape.
Amazon itself has not commented publicly. The company maintains strict rules for its Associates program. Affiliates are not supposed to use deceptive redirects or hidden tracking on user devices. Whether Motorola’s arrangement violated those terms remains unclear. The tag “sramz-kff-008-20” now sits in the public record. Anyone who made purchases after the update on affected phones may have inadvertently sent commission to that account.
For industry observers the story serves as a reminder. Software updates on locked-down system apps can alter expected behavior without user consent. The difference this time was the visibility. A single technically minded owner spotted the anomaly, shared logs and triggered a cascade of reporting. Within days the practice ended. That speed reflects both the power of public scrutiny and Motorola’s desire to contain damage.
Still, the underlying capability lingers in the launcher code. Future updates could repurpose similar hooks for other partners or services. Owners who want certainty can disable Smart Feed today. They can also set Amazon as the default handler for its own links and avoid the app drawer entirely. Simple steps. But they should not be necessary on phones positioned as clean Android experiences.
Motorola built its recent reputation on near-stock software and attentive updates. This episode tests that claim. The company moved to close the loophole once exposed. Whether similar logic exists for other retailers or services may surface in coming weeks. For now the affiliate injection has stopped. The conversation about manufacturer accountability continues.
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