Apparent AI with Android phone, creepy

[Jeff Jot]

So someone hacked a relative of mine on Facebook, and the fake person had a conversation with me, pretending to be my uncle.
Later when I logged back into Facebook, everything they said in the message chat window in Facebook had disappeared. I could only see my responses.

I then got on my Android phone and used Signal to SMS chat. I chatted there with my real relative, and we discussed what happened. I texted them there that my messages had disappeared in Facebook, and that I thought that was creepy. We ended the conversation.

The next time I used my phone, and the screen turned on, Signal was opened to a window saying "Disappearing messages". It was just already sitting at at that screen!
"When enabled, new messages sent and received in this chat will disappear after they have been seen."
The settings are "Off", "4 weeks", "1 week".... up to "30 seconds".
I was never even aware of this setting. Why would the phone be open to this all by itself?
Has anybody seen this happen before.

The only explanation I can think of is Android/Signal SMS automatically suggested this feature, after I texted someone the words "disappearing messages".
Either that or I have a super psycho hacker taking control of my phone.
Anyone have any thoughts/experiences with this?

 

[ocnbrze]

your phone is most likely not hacked. it is more of a suggestion from the app. i use textra as my messaging app. never heard of signal. according to the play store, signal is all about privacy and maybe this disappearing messages is a new feature.

 

[Jeff Jot]

Isn't it a crazy coincidence though, that that the Android phone would be open on the 'disappearing messages' setting screen in Signal, the very next time I used the phone after texting someone my messages had disappeared?
I guess its an auto suggest feature, but good lord.
Anyway is there any staple way to check and see if you're being actively hacked on Android? I've heard of PC Anywhere way back in the day, where a remote person could control your screen while you watched the mouse move around. I worked in IT tech support years ago and we used this all the time. There are also other support apps that use this, but the 'host' usually has to give permission.
I imagine software like that exists for Android, but I never installed it.

 

[ocnbrze]

Isn't it a crazy coincidence though, that that the Android phone would be open on the 'disappearing messages' setting screen in Signal, the very next time I used the phone after texting someone my messages had disappeared?
I guess its an auto suggest feature, but good lord.

that is all it is an auto suggestion.....so...no i don't think it is that crazy nor a coincidence.....lol

in order for hacking to occur you need either an app to be downloaded and installed that gives the app "admin rights" to get remote access which the phone will ask for permission to do before that app can run....or...the phone needs to be hooked up to a computer. it is not as easy as it used to be to hack a phone.

 

[Jeff Jot]

I'm still trying to process why someone would hack my uncle and try to have a conversation with me. Facebook IS creepy as hell, and I'm not even going to go further as to what I've experienced there over the years.
Anyway something people might note. When you swipe UP on Android, you do NOT close the app you are using! All you do is push it into the background. My old Android used to have a button to bring up all the active processes on the phone, on this new one I had to load a Play Store application called "Back Button" to do it.
My point in bringing this up is if you go into Google and click the microphone, and then swipe UP to close, the phone will basically sit there listening and recording you all day, or until you go back into Google. Where that goes, I have no idea. Not that they couldn't I suppose, tap your microphone anyway. Lets just say put that phone in a drawer if you have anything important to say LOL.
Unless you have an Alexa, then why bother right. The days of needing a warrant to wiretap your home are long gone, sadly.........

 

[ocnbrze]

what phone do you have? there is a close program option on majority of android phones. if you tap the screen of any app, or home screen, you should see some icons at the bottom.

the one circled is your a list of all your apps that are open. you can swipe to close a certain app or you can close all to close all open apps.

 

[ocnbrze]

My point in bringing this up is if you go into Google and click the microphone, and then swipe UP to close, the phone will basically sit there listening and recording you all day, or until you go back into Google. Where that goes, I have no idea. Not that they couldn't I suppose, tap your microphone anyway. Lets just say put that phone in a drawer if you have anything important to say LOL.
Unless you have an Alexa, then why bother right. The days of needing a warrant to wiretap your home are long gone, sadly.........

most phones you can turn on or off the microphone. i have that option on my z fold 4.

 

[Jeff Jot]

I have a Motorola Moto Stylus 2021 and nope no such option. But I can do it after loading the Back Button app. My old Motorola had a box icon to shuffle through all the open apps. And you could have about 80 open in the background at once. I can only imagine how many the new one can hold open.
They did away with the removeable battery too so the device always has power. I imagine they can probably turn on any phone that's been shut off with the power button remotely if they really wanted to. Unless of course the battery is actually run out completely and needs recharged. Then I'm not sure. And I don't trust any user set "microphone off" setting unless you're actually pulling a wire or flipping a real switch.... the manufacturer probably left a back door to turn it on anyway. Call me pessimistic as an old IT support guy. Oh well.

 

[nickdalzell]

Ocnbrze, many phones today default to gestures over navigation buttons. It concerned me that one day we might not have a choice for either and will be forced to use gestures no matter what.

As for AI, not likely in this situation but Android 12 does in fact have AI power behind it. Everyone hears my concerns over it and voice assistants and just thinks I'm a crazy consipiracy theorist though. My S4 Mini never does weird stuff like this, no matter how often futurists tell me I'm gonna get hacked and run a botnet just from running this phone in 2023.

BTW Love the HTC Sense-inspired widget. I thought I was the last one left who missed it. Shame none of the ones in Play Store do the animations or have the weather UI and music when tapping it.

 

[ocnbrze]

Ocnbrze, many phones today default to gestures over navigation buttons. It concerned me that one day we might not have a choice for either and will be forced to use gestures no matter what.

well i do not use gestures on my z fold 4 save making a screenshot.

 

[nickdalzell]

Yet. Wait. Just wait. One day a 'software update' will up and remove your navigation buttons.

Is the screenshot gesture the same one my S4 Mini uses? (palm swipe to screenshot?). I actually do the same thing I did on my iPhone 3GS (hold home and power) and it works.

 

[ocnbrze]

Yet. Wait. Just wait. One day a 'software update' will up and remove your navigation buttons.

Is the screenshot gesture the same one my S4 Mini uses? (palm swipe to screenshot?). I actually do the same thing I did on my iPhone 3GS (hold home and power) and it works.

Yep palm swipe for screen shot.