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The Two Types of Spambots

When it comes to Android’s spambots, there are two main types on your apps, which you’ll most commonly run into:

• Push Alerts: Push alerts, also known as “push notifications,” show up when you’re not actively using the specific app. Apps will spam you with alerts in an attempt to make you use their app. Often, you can try to manage push alerts by going into an app’s notifications settings. Be forewarned: you’ll have to perform this action manually with every app.
• Icon Ads: The Google Play store has already officially banned this type of spam. However, it may still appear on older versions of apps, if you download them from a third-party store. What are icon ads, exactly? Well, they show up on your home screen, as if you’ve downloaded a new app. But when you go to click on them, the icon brings you to an ad network.

Getting Rid of these Spambots

Often, installing an ad blocking software is the easiest way to free your Android’s apps from spambots. Ad blockers are available in the Google Play store, and they’re great tools for cleaning out those pesky ads. Otherwise, if you don’t want to go down that route, the best advice would be to delete any “spammy” apps. They’re probably more trouble than they’re worth, anyway.

What is Clickbait?
The term “clickbait” can be defined as content that has an intriguing headline, but once you click on the link, the actual content lacks value and quality. However, in popular usage the term is often used to refer to personal dislike for an article, or to any headline that tempts you to read more.

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Why Clickbait Works
There are some universal signs of clickbait. Some examples would be exaggerated headlines such as “You’ll never believe this…” or “This story will change your life!” They promise something so incredible and unique that we can’t help but “click” on the link. But if clickbait frustrates us, then why does it keep reeling us in? Because we’re curious. It makes us feel as if we’ll be rewarded by clicking on the link. But once we do, the article is often disappointing. It doesn’t live up to its promise; we feel as if we’ve been tricked.

Another reason clickbait works is that it promises a quick, emotional escape in a world of hard news stories and investigative journalism. It’s a form of instant gratification. It works because after a long day at work, our brains are tired. Clickbait is designed to be easy to consume.

This tactic — of enticing readers to read an article by using an intriguing headline — of course isn’t new. It has been used in advertisements since the 19th century. In the case of clickbait, however, this tactic is used to an extreme. It happens when a company cares more about advertising revenue and site traffic than the quality of the content. Ultimately, this isn’t a strategy for the long run. It can lead to loss of potential subscribers or customers if they are continuously dissatisfied with their experience.

The Real Issue with Clickbait
While some content can be unanimously considered to be of poor quality, the issue with “clickbait” is that the term is overused, and has adopted a broad and subjective meaning. One person might deem a certain article to be invaluable, but another might find it to be a waste of time. But if the actual content is of a certain standard of quality, even if not every person finds that content valuable, then technically it isn’t clickbait. This is true even if the headline mimics traditional tactics of clickbait. If we avoid overusing the term “clickbait,” then we can more easily recognize actual clickbait and avoid it, if desired.

The free application is called “Google Phone App.” The Google Phone App is updating to include this new feature that will help ward off spam callers. Version 4.0 and above include the spam protection. You need to ensure that you have caller ID enabled in your settings, and your operating system must be Marshmallow.

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When you receive a phone call from a number that your phone finds suspicious, the banner behind the caller’s name will flash red and read “suspected spam caller.”

Make sure your Caller ID and spam protection is turned on
This is an important first step to help shield yourself from spam.

1. Open up your Phone app.
2. Tap on more options.Some phones denote this option with 3 vertical dots.
3. Click on “Caller ID and spam protection.”
4. Make sure this feature is turned on.

Marking calls as spam calls
Sometimes some spam calls slip through the cracks and reach your phone unfiltered. Here’s how to change that.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Go to recent calls.
3. Select the phone number you wish to mark as spam.
4. Click on “Block/report spam.” You’ll then be asked for confirmation about blocking the number.
5. Some phones have the option to “report call as spam.” Click this as well.
6. Click “block.”

Correcting for a mistake in spam correction
Sometimes your phone will mistakenly mark one of your friendly contacts as spam. This is an easy fix.

1. Open the phone app.
2. Click on “Recent Calls.”
3. Click on the phone number that was accidentally marked as spam.
4. Select “not spam.”

Reporting a mistake in caller ID details
While caller ID is a relatively old technology, it is far from perfect. Caller ID has been known to convey misinformation about some phone numbers. Here’s how to correct for this.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Click on “recent calls.”
3. Tap on the cell phone number that had the wrong information.
4. Click on “Call Details.”
5. Select “Report inaccurate number.”

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