HIGHLIGHTS
1. Users are questioning a setting option in the Realme UI 4.0 update.
2. The Android 13-based skin has been accused of collecting user data without consent.
3. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar noticed user complaints and assured an investigation.
Realme UI 4.0 has been a controversial update. The update, announced last year, was infamous for the number of pre-installed bloatware apps. Ads and app recommendations, including explicit content, followed this. Realme was quick to fix the issue partly. However, the update continues to have dark patterns that might not be easily noticeable to the average consumer.
Realme has reportedly been tracking user activity and collecting data to improve the user experience and optimise device functions.
Users took to Twitter to raise the issue, which has attracted the Indian government’s attention.
Union Minister of Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar has intervened following complaints of several issues.
The minister assured that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) would look into the matter and test the feature.
Realme UI 4.0 Collecting User Data?
Realme UI 4.0 might collect user data via a feature called “Enhanced Intelligent Services”, enabled by default on its devices. Users have been uploading a screenshot of the feature, which shows that the feature is enabled by default. The description states that Enhanced Intelligent Services improves the user experience by optimising device functions based on how you use your device.
The feature collects the user’s information, including device information, app usage statistics, location information, calendar events, etc. The feature also collects statistics about unread SMS messages and missed calls.
Enhanced Intelligent Services requires access to the user’s location, internet connection, calendar events, call logs, and messages.
While the feature might be using machine learning and claim to enhance the user experience, it is unknown if the collected data stays on the device and if it is sent to remote servers. This further raises concerns over user data security and privacy.
Realme, when writing this, has not officially commented on the issue. If you want to turn off the feature, which we would advise, you can go to Settings > Additional Settings -> System Services and then disable Enhanced Intelligent Services.
OPPO and OnePlus smartphones also have the same feature. Since Realme UI 4.0 is based on ColorOS 13, it is bound to have most of the system features that the BBK-owned company offers. The same is the case with Oxygen OS 13, which is based on ColorOS 13 and has some minor design tweaks but shares most of the underlying features.
We could verify the same on the OnePlus Nord 2, which runs Android 13-based Oxygen OS 13. The feature can be disabled by going to Settings > System > Additional Settings > System Services and disabling Enhanced Intelligent Services.
It is worth noting that the feature was enabled by default. We also would advise turning off the location permission for this feature and other unwanted apps and services.
As a thumb rule, we would advise not giving any app or service access to your location, microphone, call logs or photos and videos. While most of these apps claim to collect the data to improve the user experience, there is no clarity on whether the data remains on the device.
If the data is sent to servers, it is unknown how one deals with your data without your knowledge.
Is Realme under government scanner for collecting user data?
Mos IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar says claim that Realme’s ‘Enhanced Intelligent Services’ captures users’ personal information and has been activated by default will be checked.
Just days after CEO Madhav Seth exited Realme, the company seems to have come under the government’s lens for capturing users’ personal data such as call logs, location info, SMS and more.
Responding to a tweet claiming that Realme’s ‘Enhanced Intelligent Services’ captures users’ personal information and has been activated by default, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for IT & Electronics, tweeted that this would be checked. He also tagged the Ministry of Electronics & IT’s official Twitter handle in this tweet.
A tweet by Rishi Bagree stated, “Realme’s smartphone has a feature (Enhanced Intelligent Services) that captures the user’s data (call logs, SMS, and location info) and it is ‘On’ by default. You can only see this ‘on’ by default feature when you go to Settings -> Additional Settings -> System Services -> Enhanced Intelligent Services. Indian users are kept in the dark to share their data without their consent. This is basically forced consent since it’s on by default. Is this data being sent to China?”
This service feature is hidden deep under settings and most users are not even aware of something of it. But the tweet was followed by some other users complaining of a similar feature being spotted in OnePlus devices as well. BBK Electronics Corporation is the parent company of Oppo, Vivo, and Realme. And OnePlus is Oppo’s subsidiary.
Realme is popular in India, and has a market share close to 14.5% here.
This isn’t the first time that a Chinese smartphone maker is being accused of collecting user data. For instance, the US barred companies in that country from doing business with Huawei, which once dominated the smartphone industry and equipment segment, in 2019 due to national security concerns about the Chinese firm supplying equipment for network infrastructure (particularly as the US undergoes its ongoing rollout of 5G).
After a Twitter user pointed out that Realme phones come with an “Enhanced Intelligent Services” feature that collected device information, app usage statistics and other user info, Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the government will “have it tested and checked.”
Chandrasekhar made the statement when he retweeted the original tweet, which shared the screenshot and accusations against the Chinese smartphone brand Realme. The original tweet and accusations were shared by user Rishi Bagree, who is known for sharing polarising content on social media.
In the original tweet, Bagree said the option for “Enhanced Intelligent Services” is on by default and insinuated that this feature is used to send Indian users’ data—including call logs, SMS and location info—to China. Realme’s parent company is BBK Electronics, the same Guangzhou-based company that is the parent of Vivo, Oppo, OnePlus and iQoo; all major Chinese phone brands sold in India.
The “Enhanced Intelligence Services” feature cited by Bagree and amplified by the minister is vaguely-worded and seems like an intrusive feature. Indianexpress.com confirmed that the feature is turned on by default on the Realme 11 Pro.
According to information in the phone’s settings, the Enhanced Intelligent Services feature is essential for many of the phones’ features. The phone’s charging optimisation feature needs to collect location information and app usage statistics, the wallpapers and other personalisation features need to collect statistics about unread messages, missed calls and other crucial information, according to the feature’s information page in the phone’s UI.
The same feature also seemed to be turned on by default in the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite. OnePlus is also a sub-brand of BBK Electronics.
But this feature is not exclusive to Chinese smartphone brands. A look at the privacy settings on a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE reveals that even the South Korean company has the tendency to enable a similar “Send diagnostic data” option by default.
In Samsung’s case, the phone also takes the liberty to link this diagnostic data with other information from your Samsung phone.
It is not immediately clear what exactly any of these companies plan to do with the data they collect from users’ phones and if these functions are essential to the products and services offered by them, the onus is on them to explain to users why that is so.
Faqs
1) Realme UI 4.0 Update: Roadmap, list of eligible mobiles, how to download beta and stable update.Details?
Ans) Realme UI 4.0 has been launched in India and is likely to see heavy demand, owing to the company’s position in the Indian market. Realme has climbed up to become the second-highest shipping smartphone company in India as of Q2 2022. The Realme UI 4.0 beta testing has already begun, and the company has already announced a tentative timeline by which all users would get the update. Additionally, the update will give Realme smartphone users a host of new features on their phones along with access to the latest version of Android 13. On this note, here’s looking at everything you must know about Realme UI 4.0, and everything it brings to the table.
Realme UI 4.0 release date
Realme has already started rolling out early access for its latest generation custom interface, and the same has already been introduced to the Realme GT 2 Pro. It is, however, presently rolling out as a beta update for early testers, so users keen to become among the first to get the Realme UI 4.0 may also face bugs and glitches as part of the update.
As for a stable update, while a date is not yet known, it is likely that Realme UI 4.0 will roll out in its stable build by October — which is from the coming month. It is also likely that the rollout schedule will remain the same as the schedule for the early access beta, which has been detailed below.
Realme UI 4.0: How to download
Each eligible device will receive a prompt for a software update that it receives, but only when the stable version is rolled out. If you wish to get your hands on the early access (beta) version of Realme UI 4.0, use the following steps:
Go to settings
Scroll to find the ‘Software update’ section
Check for any stable update, and make sure that your phone is on the latest UI version
Tap on the ‘Settings’ icon to the top right, and tap on ‘Trial version’
Tap on the ‘Early access’ tab, and select ‘Apply now’
Fill up the requisite information on screen
Once these steps are fulfilled, you will be eligible to receive the early access beta version of Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13, as soon as it is rolled out for your device. Do note that the early access version may come with bugs that can hamper your usage experience, and using a beta software version on your primary smartphone is not ideal since it may lead to unforeseen crashes and data loss.
2) What are Realme UI 4.0 features?
Ans) Here’s a quick look at all the new Realme UI 4.0 features:
New theme
Realme UI 4.0 brings an all-new theme inspired by the nature of water called ‘Aquamorphic’. Various UI elements such as icons, buttons, toggles, sliders, and transitions have been upgraded to go in line with the new theme. Several first-party apps now support a fresh coat of paint for a streamlined experience throughout the UI.
Smart Always-On Display
Among a host of new additions to the Always-On Display, Realme has introduced smart AOD which lets the users track their food delivery order right from the Always-On Display. The company has also tied up with Spotify to bring a dedicated music interface to the AOD for controlling and switching between songs.
Performance improvements
Realme UI 4.0 incorporates a new software element called Dynamic Computing Engine which boosts the overall performance and reduces power consumption in situations which involve running heavy tasks such as gaming or video rendering. This also ensures the device runs at nominal temperatures during prolonged usage.
Privacy enhancements
On the privacy front, Realme UI 4.0 features an all new option to auto pixelate or hide the private details such as names, addresses, and profile pictures on chat-based screenshots. This way, users can share the screenshots without having to worry about revealing the crucial details of other people. Apart from that, Realme has also upgraded its Private Safe feature with Advanced Encryption Standards (AES) to store personal photos, music, recordings, videos, and documents with a higher level of security.
Media controls
Realme has built-in its own version of media control interface for Realme UI 4.0 as opposed to the one found on stock Android 13. The new media interface shows up at the right corner of the quick settings panel whenever a music or video is played from an app. Users can tap on it to interact with various controls such as pausing, playing, and even selecting the device for media output.
Enhanced animations & enlarged folders
Along with all of this, Realme UI 4.0 brings enhanced animations that include new fingerprint registry animations, as well as a new look for icons that may change based on the theme that you apply on your phone. Realme also offers ‘enlarged folders’ — which helps users group together multiple genres of apps into one major folder on the home screen.
New notification panel layout
Finally, a tweaked notification panel layout is in place for Realme UI 4.0 skin. Keeping in line with the Aquamorphic design, the notification and quick settings layout now feature blur effects and also support several theming options.
Realme UI 4.0 eligible devices
A post in the Realme Community pages has revealed the tentative early access rollout of Android 13-based Realme UI 4.0 for all of its smartphones in India. Understandably, while the flagship smartphones get priority, Realme’s rollout of Android 13-based Realme UI 4.0 extends all the way to September 2023 — which is when its final eligible smartphones will get the update. Based on the post, here’s the present update schedule that Realme has tentatively chalked out for its smartphones.
August 2022
Realme GT 2 Pro
September 2022
Realme GT Neo 3 and Neo 3 150W
Realme GT 2
October 2022
Realme GT Neo 3T
Realme 9 Pro Plus 5G
Realme 9 Pro 5G
Realme 9i 5G
November 2022
Realme GT
Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G
Realme Narzo 50 5G
December 2022
Realme GT Neo 2 5G
Realme X7 Max
Realme 8 5G
Realme Narzo 30 5G
Q1 2023 (January to March)
Realme GT Master Edition
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition
Realme 9 5G
Realme 9
Realme 9i
Realme 8 Pro
Realme 8s 5G
Q2 2023 (April to June)
Realme 8
Realme 8i
Realme Narzo 50
Q3 2023 (July to September)
Realme Narzo 50A Prime
Realme C35
Realme C31
Realme C30
Realme Narzo 50i Prime
Realme C33