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

A Burner Phone Is Your Best Defense Against Border Searches. Here’s What to Know.

Find out why even a locked phone is not safe from border patrol searches and how a burner phone is the best solution.

Crossing the border can be extremely stressful. And now your phone adds another layer. According to new figures from US Customs and Border Protection, nearly 15,000 device searches were carried out between April and June — over 1,000 of them using advanced tools that copy or analyze a phone’s contents. The rising numbers raise questions about how much personal data travelers may be handing over without realizing it.

The answer? Buying a burner phone. It can keep you connected for calls and texts while limiting the amount of personal information stored on it. It’s not just about crossing borders either — having a stripped-down device can help cut screen time, reduce distractions and give you a mental break from constant notifications.

Even celebrities have embraced the switch. Conan O’Brien has said that carrying a simpler phone helps him stay focused, proving that sometimes less really is more. If your smartphone feels like it holds too much of your life, scaling back — whether for travel or everyday use — might be worth considering.

Read more: Best Prepaid Phone of 2025

Although carriers have offered prepaid phones since the ’90s, «burner phones» or «burners» became more popular in the 2000s following the celebrated HBO series The Wire, where they helped characters avoid getting caught by the police. Though often portrayed in that light, burners aren’t only used by criminals, but really by anyone concerned with surveillance or privacy infringement.

What is a burner phone, and how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know about burners and how to get one.

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What is a burner phone?

A burner phone is a cheap prepaid phone with no commitments. It comes with a set number of prepaid call minutes, text messages or data, and it’s designed to be disposed of after use.

Burners are contract-free, and you can grab them off the counter. They’re called burner phones because you can «burn» them (trash them after use), and the phone can’t be traced back to you, which makes them appealing to criminals. Burner phones are typically used when you need a phone quickly, without intentions of long-term usage.

Burners are different from getting a regular, contract-bound cellphone plans that require your information to be on file.

Why should you use a burner phone?

Burner phones are an easy way to avoid cellphone contracts or spam that you get on your primary phone number. Burners aren’t linked to your identity, so you can avoid being tracked down or contacted.

You don’t have to dispose of a burner phone after use. You can add more minutes and continue using it. Burner phones can still function as regular phones, minus the hassle of a contract.

You can also get a burner phone as a secondary phone for a specific purpose, like having a spare phone number for two-factor authentication texts, for business or to avoid roaming charges while traveling. Burner phones are often used by anyone concerned with privacy.

Read more: The Data Privacy Tips Digital Security Experts Wish You Knew

Burner phones, prepaid phones, smartphones and burner SIMs: What’s the difference?

Burner phones are cheap phones with simple designs that lack the bells and whistles of a smartphone. Because they’re designed to be disposable, you only get the essentials, as seen by the most common version, the flip phone.

All burner phones are prepaid phones, but not all prepaid phones are burners. What sets a burner apart is that you won’t have to give away any personal information to get one, and it won’t be traceable back to you. Again, a burner phone is cheap enough to be destroyed after use.

Prepaid smartphones are generally low-end models. You can use any unlocked smartphone with prepaid SIM cards, essentially making it a prepaid phone.

If you want a burner, you don’t necessarily have to buy a new phone. You can get a burner SIM and use it with an existing phone. Burner SIMs are prepaid SIMs you can get without a contract or giving away personal information.

Where can you buy a burner phone?

Burner phones are available at all major retail outlets, including Best Buy, Target and Walmart. They’re also often available at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, local supermarkets, gas stations and retail phone outlets like Cricket and Metro.

You can get a burner phone with cash, and it should cost between $10 and $50, though it may cost more if you get more minutes and data. If you’re getting a burner phone specifically to avoid having the phone traced back to you, it makes sense to pay with cash instead of a credit card.

If you just want a prepaid secondary phone, you can use a credit card. Just keep in mind that credit cards leave a trail that leads back to you.

There are also many apps that let you get secondary phone numbers, including Google Fi and the Burner app. However, these aren’t burners necessarily because the providers typically have at least some of your personal information.

If you’re just looking to get a solid prepaid phone without anonymity, check out our full guide for the best prepaid phone plans available. We also have a guide for the best cheap phone plans.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, Sept. 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 28.

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

Wow, 1-Across was tricky today. In short, «chicken» doesn’t always refer to the bird. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Make chicken?
Answer: SCARE

6A clue: Stretchy glove material
Answer: LATEX

7A clue: Island that’s the «A» of the so-called ABC Islands
Answer: ARUBA

8A clue: Gently play, as a guitar
Answer: STRUM

9A clue: Helpful link for a daily Spelling Bee solver
Answer: HINTS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: What’s typed instead of a question mark if you forget to press shift
Answer: SLASH

2D clue: Rapper Playboi ___
Answer: CARTI

3D clue: Take ___ for the worse
Answer: ATURN

4D clue: Make a counterargument against
Answer: REBUT

5D clue: Midterms and finals
Answer: EXAMS

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 28, #840

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Sept. 28, #840.

Looking for the most recent 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, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has one category that could actually go into the Connections: Sports Edition puzzle. And the yellow category, which is supposed to be the easiest, was a stumper for me. If you need help, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

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

Yellow group hint: Support.

Green group hint: Be careful on your computer.

Blue group hint: Blow a bubble.

Purple group hint: Are you ready for some football?