Technologies

Neon, the Popular Free App That Pays for Call Recordings, Has Been Disabled

Despite a server «pause» and a reported security flaw, Neon remains one of the top-downloaded free apps in the iOS app store.

A new app that promises to pay people for recordings of their phone calls, which are then used to train AI models, has been disabled after a major security flaw was reported.

Neon is still in the top 10 of iOS free app downloads, but after TechCrunch reported Thursday about a security flaw that the news site found in the service, its servers have apparently been made unavailable to users.

The app can still be downloaded, but it’s no longer functioning. It’s unclear whether the service will return or how long it will take.

Emails to Neon Mobile, the company behind the app, have not been returned.

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According to TechCrunch, a flaw in the app allowed people to access calls from other users, transcripts and metadata about calls. The company notified Neon users that it was pausing the service but did not explicitly mention why, TechCrunch said.

Before the app was disabled, a legal expert warned about trouble it might cause, in addition to potential security flaws.

David Hoppe, the founder and managing partner of Gamma Law, which advises clients on thorny technological issues, told CNET that because some states have consent rules on recording phone calls, people using Neon should be very careful or avoid it entirely. Without certainty of its legality, he warned, «do not use this app.»

Cash for calls

Neon is still available (at least for the time being) on iOS and Android. The company records users’ outgoing phone calls and pays them up to $30 a day for regular calls or 30 cents a minute if the call is to another Neon user. Calls to non-Neon users pay 15 cents a minute. The app also offers $30 for referrals.

«You can cash out as soon as you earn your first ten cents,» a Neon app FAQ says, «Once redeemed, payouts are typically processed within three business days, though timing may occasionally be shorter or longer.»

The company promises it only draws from the recording of one side of the phone conversation, the caller’s, which appears to be a way of skirting state laws that prohibit recording phone calls without permission.

While many states only require one person on a call to be aware that a call is being recorded, others, including California, Florida and Maryland, have laws that require all parties on a phone call to consent to recording. It’s unclear how Neon functions with calls to those states. For Neon-to-Neon calls, two-party consent would presumably be implied.

The app doesn’t record regular phone app calls, only those made within the Neon app or received from another person using Neon.

While the iOS version has shot up in popularity — it reached as high as the No. 2 spot this week — the Android version appears to be having some problems, at least according to some of the most recent reviews on the Google Play Store. The Android app only has a 2.4-star rating, and some user comments report network errors when people try to cash out on the Neon app.

Training AI using your data

According to the company’s FAQ, the call data is anonymized and used to train AI voice assistants. «This helps train their systems to understand diverse, real-world speech,» it says.

AI companies need increasing amounts of data to train their models, which may be why Neon is offering the monetary incentive.

«The industry is hungry for real conversations because they capture timing, filler words, interruptions and emotions that synthetic data misses, which improves quality of AI models,» said Zahra Timsah, CEO of i-Gentic AI, which works in AI compliance.

«But that doesn’t give apps a pass on privacy or consent,» Timsah said.

Pushing legal limits

TechCrunch, which was one of the first sites to write about the app, pointed out that sharing voice data can be a security risk, even if a company promises to remove identifying information from the data.

Neon could be pushing its luck, especially across states and countries, when it comes to privacy and IP laws or regulations, depending on how it handles consent and where the data ends up.

«We don’t know if there are sufficient safeguards to exclude the person on the other end of the conversation, but some level of consent would be required, and informing them of it being provided,» said Valence Howden, a data governance expert and advisory fellow at Info-Tech Research Group.

Howden said that even if the data is anonymized, AI might not have a hard time retroactively discovering who is on the line in a Neon conversation.

«AI can infer a lot, correct or otherwise, to fill in gaps in what it receives, and may be able to provide direct links if names or personal information are part of the exchange,» he said.

Can I be liable for call recordings?

Putting aside the requirements the Neon app had to meet in order to be included in Apple’s App Store, it’s reasonable to still have questions about the legality of recording phone calls, especially in states where all parties must consent.

That may be a major reason to avoid Neon, according to Hoppe, the legal expert.

«In the United States, it is not legal to simply record a phone call because an app’s terms of service say you can,» Hoppe said. «So, imagine a user in California records a call with a friend, also in California, without telling them. That user has just violated California’s penal code. They could face criminal charges and, equally scary, be sued civilly by the person they recorded.»

Violations, he said, could result in penalties of thousands of dollars per incident.

Hoppe said Neon’s terms of service won’t protect an app user if they face legal liability over recordings. And it doesn’t help, legally speaking, that the person recording was paid for doing so.

«The user is the one pressing the record button,» Hoppe said. «My strongest recommendation to anyone considering this would be: unless you are absolutely certain of the consent laws in your state and the state of the person you’re calling, and you have explicitly informed and received consent from every other person on the call, do not use this app.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 8, #562

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 8 No. 562.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Working out.

Green group hint: Cover your face.

Blue group hint: NFL players.

Purple group hint: Leap.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Exercises in singular form.

Green group: Sporting jobs that require masks.

Blue group: Hall of Fame defensive ends.

Purple group: ____ jump.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is exercises in singular form. The four answers are crunch, plank, situp and squat.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sporting jobs that require masks. The four answers are catcher, fencer, football player and goaltender.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Hall of Fame defensive ends. The four answers are Dent, Peppers, Strahan and Youngblood.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ jump. The four answers are broad, high, long and triple.

Technologies

The $135M Google Data Settlement Site Is Live — See If You’re Eligible

Use the settlement website to select your preferred payment method, and you may end up $100 richer.

You can now file a claim in the $135 million Google data settlement. The case centers on claims that Android devices transmitted user data without consent. Specifically, the class action lawsuit Taylor v. Google LLC contends that Google’s Android devices passively transferred cellular data to Google without user permission, even when the devices were idle. While not admitting fault, Google reached a preliminary settlement in January, agreeing to pay $135 million to about 100 million US Android phone users.

The official settlement website for the lawsuit is now live. The final approval hearing won’t occur until June 23, when the court will consider whether Google’s settlement is fair and listen to objections. After that, the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement.

In the meantime, if you qualify and want to be paid as part of the settlement, you can select your preferred payment method on the official website. There, you can find information on speaking at the June 23 court hearing and on how to exclude yourself or write to the court to object by May 29.

As part of the settlement, Google will update its Google Play terms of service to clarify that certain data transfers do occur passively even when you’re not using your Android device, and that cellular data may be relied upon when not connected to Wi-Fi. This can’t always be disabled, but users will be asked to consent to it when setting up their device.

Google will also fully stop collecting data when its «allow background data usage» option is toggled off.

Who can be part of the settlement?

In order to join the Taylor v. Google LLC settlement, you must meet four qualifications:

Be a living, individual human being in the US.
Have used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan.
Have used the aforementioned device at any time from Nov. 12, 2017, to the date when the settlement receives final approval.
You’re not a class member in the Csupo v. Google LLC lawsuit, which is similar but specifically for California residents.

The final approval hearing is on June 23, so you can add your payment method until then. The hearing’s date and time may change, and any updates will be posted on the settlement website.

If you choose to do nothing, you will still be issued a settlement payment, but you may not receive it if you don’t select a payment method.

How much will I get paid?

It’s not currently known exactly how much each settlement class member will receive, but the cap is $100. Payments will be distributed after final court approval and after any appeals are resolved.

After all administrative, tax and attorney costs are paid, the settlement administrator will attempt to pay each member an equal amount. If any funds remain after payments are sent, and it’s economically feasible, they will be redistributed to members who were previously and successfully paid. If it’s not economically feasible, the funds will go to an organization approved by the court.

Technologies

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Might Come in 5G and 4G Cellular Models

If the rumor proves true, the 5G Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 that debuted last fall.

Samsung’s next high-end Galaxy Watch could support faster 5G speeds, but if this leak is true, it will depend on where you live. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might come in 5G and 4G cellular models, with availability for each smartwatch depending on the country.

According to the Dutch website Galaxy Club (and spotted by SamMobile), Samsung’s servers may have revealed a series of model numbers that point to 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi-enabled editions of the next Galaxy Watch Ultra, which would succeed the original model that debuted in 2024.

A representative for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Galaxy Club website speculates that the 5G edition would be sold in the US and Korean markets, while the 4G edition would sell in the rest of the world. In the US, a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3, which debuted last fall. The 4G edition would have broader compatibility worldwide, since the earlier network is far more established.

It will likely be a few months until we hear anything official about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Samsung typically unveils its new watches in the summer alongside its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but otherwise left the prior 2024 Ultra in the lineup for those looking for a larger 47mm smartwatch.