Illustrated ads on mobile phone lock screens are easy to accidentally touch, hindering the use of the elderly

Recently, a post titled "Mobile phone lock screen pictures affect dialing 120" sparked heated discussion. The poster said that after his mother suffered a heart attack, the lock screen pictorial affected the use of his mobile phone, causing his father to be unable to unlock his mobile phone and make a rescue call, thus missing the best rescue time.

The poster clarified on the online platform on the 11th that his father had already made a normal call for help at that time. He was emotionally excited due to a sudden change in his family, so he posted content that was inconsistent with the truth.

The matter itself has been clarified, but another question raised by it still deserves our attention - why are the information flows and advertisements built into the mobile phone system so easy to be accidentally touched? Is it convenient enough to close the entrance?

Lock screen pictorial is enabled by default

The exit button is very small

What the reporter calls "Magic Pictorial" is a lock screen information flow function built into the mobile phone system. It cannot be uninstalled directly and can only be turned off through relatively cumbersome settings. In addition to Magic Pictorial, reporters found that some mobile phone systems are equipped with a similar lock screen pictorial function. On short video platforms, there are many tutorials on how to turn off the lock screen pictorial.

The reporter found that the lock screen pictorial of some brands of mobile phones is in the lock screen state. Clicking on a specific area of ​​the phone interface will not unlock the phone. Instead, it will enter the exclusive "lock screen pictorial" interface. Swipe left and right to switch pictures. Some will directly enter the exclusive lock screen pictorial information flow area, and APP advertisements and some articles will be automatically displayed according to the picture. This feature is often turned on by default by mobile phone manufacturers, but many users say it is inconvenient to use. In an interview, Mr. Zheng reflected that the exit button on the lock screen is very small, but it is very easy to enter.

For the elderly, these ads are more like a hurdle. Ms. Li said that her mother was once "stuck" by a lock screen pictorial. She wanted to open the camera and accidentally clicked on the lock screen interface, and then encountered an advertisement. No matter how she operated, she could not return to the camera function.

Mr. Sun, who is nearly seventy years old, told reporters that he did not know how the various pictorials on his mobile phone appeared or how to close them.

From lock screen to negative screen

Advertisements are almost everywhere

In addition to the lock screen pictorial, there are also many locations on the phone that have become "advertising spots."

Previously, a blogger specially tested flagship mobile phones of multiple brands. After restoring them to factory settings, they turned on notification permissions for all system applications. The results showed that only push advertisements were included. The most mobile phones received 39 messages, and the least number was only 2 messages.

From push notifications and pre-installed apps, to scrolling up and down hot search lists, to one-screen information cards, to system-built-in apps like weather, calendar, wallet, and browser, advertising is almost everywhere.

Mobile phone manufacturers embed ads into operating systems

Supervision should form a synergy

As early as the end of 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Cyberspace Administration of China jointly issued the "Notice on Further Standardizing the Behavior of Pre-installed Application Software on Mobile Intelligent Terminals", requiring that in addition to basic functional software, pre-installed application software on mobile phones must be uninstallable and provide a safe and convenient uninstall method. However, functions such as lock screen pictorials and one-screen information are not considered as independent "applications", but are system functions under the banners of "lock screen beautification" and "providing information". Consumers have spent money to buy a mobile phone, why are ads bundled with the right to use it? Why can’t I turn off and avoid these ads?

Bao Ran, vice chairman of the Zhongguancun Modern Information Consumption Application Industry Technology Alliance, said that the core of the problem is that in order to expand business, mobile phone manufacturers have integrated Internet traffic and advertising operations into mobile phones and bundled them into the operating system.

The reporter's investigation found that many mobile phone manufacturers have established their own "advertising alliances". In some mobile phone manufacturers' financial reports, "Internet advertising" revenue has increased rapidly.

Bao Ran believes that Internet advertising must also be done in a “proper way” and not all the built-in functions of the system can be turned into advertising spaces. In particular, it is easier for mobile phone companies to obtain user profiles than other applications and carry out precise promotion. Regulatory authorities should work together to clarify the behavior of advertising push in the name of "built-in functions" in mobile phone systems.

Reporters丨Ren Mengyan Qian Cheng

Source: Voice of China, China Central Radio and Television