Motorola has become a suspect in how it handles affiliate tracking when users purchase items through the Amazon app using models such as the RAZR Ultra.
This issue was brought to the forefront over on Reddit with a user claiming that their Smart Feed app was inserting affiliate tracking codes into their Amazon app whenever they opened it on the RAZR Ultra (2025). Thus, if they purchased the Amazon app after opening it through the Smart Feed app, someone else could potentially receive a commission for that purchase.
9to5Google has since downloaded the same product as the Reddit user, and they also experimented and were able to produce the same affiliate tracking codes when using the Amazon app. Therefore, they too are focusing scrutiny on Motorola over this issue.
What exactly is happening?
The controversy involves Motorola’s Smart Feed app, which is installed on some of its devices as part of its software package.
According to 9to5Google, when an Amazon app is launched through the app drawer, there is a split-second redirect through Chrome before the Amazon app completely opens. During that split-second redirect, an affiliate tracking link may be inserted.
If the affiliate tracking link is inserted, it would mean that anyone who purchases from Amazon could have their purchase associated with the affiliate code; therefore, the owner of that affiliate code would receive commissions for any eligible purchases.
But, if the same Amazon app is launched from a home screen shortcut, there is no split-second redirect through Google Chrome. Reports also mentioned that before the latest version of Smart Feed, this was not happening with previous versions.
Also, it was not able to be duplicated on a Moto G Stylus with the latest version of Smart Feed. This means that not all devices are facing this issue, but some are.
Why Users Are So Concerned?
Affiliate links are used very often in e-commerce. You might see that they are common for content creators, sites, and influencers who want to get paid commissions when someone clicks through their referral to make a purchase from Amazon.
There is much debate about whether the affiliate system is bad or not, but many people question whether or not they knew that their affiliate code would be added to their purchase.
A number of users, since the incident escalated, have made their concerns known on Reddit and want to know why there is a system app built by Motorola that has modified how the Amazon app opens on Motorola phones in the first place.
While several users called the new behaviour “really sketchy,” others called it “outright malware.”
Currently, there is no evidence that individual users are charged anything extra or that their Amazon account is compromised by the app.
There has been a lot of criticism around how adds an affiliate code to users through the process they use to track clicks..
Fashion Influencer Link
According to 9to5Google, the website briefly loaded during the redirect process appears to be “kira-abboud.com,” a domain seemingly linked to fashion influencer Kira Abboud.This discovery has instantly raised questions.
Why would a Motorola app be routing users through a domain associated with a fashion influencer? Most importantly, why would an affiliate code connected to such a domain appear during the launch of Amazon?
The situation becomes even more investigative because the affiliate code reportedly generated through the process does not appear to match affiliate links publicly shared by Abboud.
As a result, there is currently no evidence suggesting the influencer was involved in the behaviour or even aware of it.
Comparisons to the Honey controversy
The new findings have drawn comparisons to the controversy around Honey, PayPal’s popular browser extension.
Criticism has arisen surrounding Honey after stories surfaced that it replaced any existing affiliate links with its referral codes when consumers made online purchases, allowing Honey to earn commissions that would have gone to content creators, publishers, etc.
The two cases are not identical, but both have affiliate tracking added to the purchase journey in ways that users may not perceive immediately.
This similarity has also led to increased concern amongst Motorola consumers.
Motorola has yet to explain the behaviour
At present, Motorola has not publicly explained why the affiliate links appear to be added or whether the behaviour is intentional.
The company also has not clarified whether commissions generated through the process would benefit Motorola, a third-party partner, or another entity entirely.
Until an official explanation is provided, questions are likely to remain about how the feature works and why it appears on only certain devices.
How users can disable Smart Feed
Users who are concerned about the behaviour can disable the Smart Feed app while waiting for further clarification.
To do so:
- Open Settings
- Tap Apps
- Search for Smart Feed
- Select the app and tap Disable
Disabling the app reportedly prevents the affiliate link behaviour from occurring.
Also Read: Mozilla Brings Major VPN Upgrade To iPhone, macOS And Linux Users
