App developers can follow you on the web if you uninstall their app

We are all used to the fact that installing an application on a smartphone means that developers will get at least some information about us. Android and iOS both include controls to block app permissions. You can always delete an application if you think that it is too curious. In this case, uninstalling an application may involve a developer more interested in what you do. A new report explains how developers track users who uninstall their apps – you may prefer to call it "harassment."

These "uninstallation tracking" tools are offered by companies such as MoEngage, Localytics and CleverTap. Big companies like T-Mobile and Spotify use these services to find out when users are uninstalling their apps, but they're not the only ones. A lot of small developers also follow uninstall programs because they clearly indicate that someone might be a good target for advertising.

Think again, and you may remember to be the target of uninstall tracking. If you have already seen a multitude of ads for a particular application or service after uninstalling this app from your phone, this developer probably uses uninstall tracking to try to win you back. This technique uses a perfectly legitimate feature of mobile operating systems: push notifications. Yes, the same features as new tweets and emails could also help developers follow you.

IOS and Android allow developers to contact your phone when their app is installed. If the application is present, the phone responds and receives data. However, the phone remains silent if the application is no longer installed. Uninstall the tracking notes as a newly lost user, which allows the developer to challenge you. It's where things get stalker-ish.

Each mobile device has a unique ad ID that companies use to target ads, unless you disable this feature in your account settings. The uninstall tracking uses this identifier to follow you on the web and hits you with ads, imploring you to reinstall the application. companies could Use Uninstall Tracking to find out why users are uninstalling apps and making improvements, but most of the time they seem to target only ad users.

This behavior is technically contrary to the rules imposed by Apple and Google. Developers are not allowed to use push notifications to send ads or generate a database of ads, but it is unclear whether Google or Apple could do so realistically. At the moment, you need to disable the ad customization features of your Google or Apple iAds account if you mind.

Now read: No, Google has not only inserted DRM in all Android apps, the Apple App Store Antritrust case is headed to the Supreme Court and Google's Voice Access app allows you control your phone fully hands-free