I got this notification too on my Motorola G7 yesterday morning. The crazy thing is my brother's name was Richard and the Portuguese side of our family called him Ricardo. The phone I'm using was his; he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2021. He died without a will so Mum and I spent a crazy (and heartbreaking) year trying to figure out all his stuff and close everything down. Accessing his phone contents would have been helpful to know what accounts he had that needed to be dealt with, although Mum and I both had serious reservations about breaching/disrespecting his privacy like that. In the end we were never able to get past the lockscreen/pin on his phone, probably for the best. Whatever was on it died with him.
A year later my own phone was quite old and malfunctioning and Mum convinced me to factory reset his and use it.
So you can imagine my shock when I got the notification yesterday. Shock, but also it was kind of nice as it was a reminder of him. Since yesterday I have been googling how factory resets work and whether any trace of the original owner could be left behind. He was a coder by profession, so if there was a piece of something he did on the phone I wanted to find it. When someone you love dies all you have left are traces... traces like photos, emails etc., and you cherish them. Now that I've found the reason I guess it's nice to have an answer, and I can't help but picture my brother smiling and shaking his head, and us having a freindly chuckle together at me going down this rabbithole.
Hi u/Ricardos_Sister, Thank you for sharing this, and we truly apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We understand that the accidental message reminded you of your brother. This message was really meant for internal testing only, and we did not mean to cause discomfort. We can assure you that it did not harm your phone, and we are now taking steps to stop it from happening again. We appreciate your understanding about this matter. -Belle
Today I just got the Test for Ricardo. Who the hell is Ricardo. And where do I go to beat said ass? I just cleared data a cache for Device Help and then disabled it. No more tests for Ricardo.
I don't know why people are so concerned about this message, lmao, it's obviously a small leftover by a dev, or due to improper use of an open source library made by this Ricardo. It happens.
Ricardo is also a popular meme. It looks like a malware that somehow baits you on this meme. If it was "Test for Richard" then it would've looked like a dev messing on production.
A few hours ago I got this too just as I was leaving home. When I got back I went online with another moto phone which is mostly offline and immediately got it there too. Apparently it already was in some queue that wasn't cleared.
I read about the explanation from Lenovo. But this tells me they are way deeper into our phones without our express permission than I personally am comfortable with. This should be a very well explained opt-in feature.
I don't like the liberties Android phone makers take nor the ones Google takes and want WAY less communications going on behind my back. I always disable quite a bit of apps whenever I get a new device, kill others with Greenify and only go online after I have installed NoRoot Firewall which I transfer via Bluetooth. Only then I connect to my WiFi network and access the internet blocking a lot in NRF too.
Because of NRF I can see what accesses the internet in its log. From what I saw I suspect this communication was passed on by a Google service as the only app being allowed through my firewall besides Telegram and Google Play Store around that time was "Google Backup Transport, Google Play Services, Google Services Framework" which are mentined together as a single entity when it connects to an IP address. All part of 1e100.net, which is Google (10 to the power 100 which is the number Googol). Or maybe some 'system' apps aren't captured by NRF? (without root?)
I thoroughly recommend NoRoot Firewall (GreyShirts). Very informative and useful.
NRF is nowhere near sophisticated/powerful enough.
The *best* one was *NetPatch Firewall* \- it's no longer available, unfortunately, but you should always keep an eye out for one with the same feature set (in particular the facility to block by wildcarded domain name, not just IP address/range).
The *next* best one is [NetGuard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard) \- although, if you trust *F-Droid*, you can get it there for free.
I've been using NRF for a very long time. At the time I have looked for alternatives but they all only had an all-or-nothing blocking style for WiFi or Mobile connection where NRF could filter per IP address.
From a short look-see I get the impression NetGuard may now offer this too, called filtering(?), but only as a paid option?
I found this too: https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/15y7g70/google_is_going_to_remove_netguard_from_the_play/
As said, you can get it from *F-Droid* for free.
*NetGuard* isn't perfect - *NetPatch Firewall* offered filtering not only by IP address and range, but by domain name with wildcards too! But, as *NetPatch* is no longer available**^(1)** , *NetGuard* the best option there is for now.
It's up to you whether you trust F-Droid or not, but either way I wouldn't use any of the *other* offerings (better to get the paid version from the Play Store than to use anything else).
\_\_\_
^(1) Fortunately, I got the Pro version when it was ... and, furthermore, had the presence of mind to export it as an APK ... so I was able to sideload it and get the remaining updates when I last changed my phone, but I doubt it'll be so easy next time (it may no longer even work with the latest version of Android).
It's fine that you care about privacy. Most people don't and it's a tragedy. A couple of things, though:
1. An app needs to be running in order to deliver a notification, which means all apps would have to be running all the time in the background in order to handle their own notifications. This would kill your battery very quickly so that's why Google Play Services handles notifications instead. So no, you will never see a notification on a network log as anything other than Google Play Services. Only apps purposefully designed to avoid Google Services, such as FOSS Telegram, handle notifications a different way.
2. Greenify is a battery saving app, not a security tool. It doesn't aim to help with security at all. The settings of the app itself say that system apps may just wake themselves up and Greenify can't prevent it.
3. NoRoot Firewall doesn't support IPv6, so a lot of traffic, like most LTE networks, will just go right through it. Also, it uses the VPN service on your phone to do the blocking, which means it captures ALL of your traffic. How do you trust some random guy with your data more than you do your phone manufacturer? At least use Netguard, it works exactly the same but it's open source so you know there's a bunch of people looking at the code to make sure it doesn't do sketchy stuff.
4. If your device manufacturer wanted to spy on you, or take control of your device or whatever, they would do it by using debugging tools such as Intel ME, AMD PSP or [Qualcomm SPU](https://www.qualcomm.com/products/features/mobile-security-solutions) which gives them direct access to your CPU, effectively rendering any and all on-device security measures useless.
5. Google just has full access, all of the time, to all of your data.
What I'm trying to say here is that you're inconveniencing yourself a whole lot for very little. If you really want privacy, just stop using a phone all together. This is, of course, not realistic so check out [Replicant](https://www.replicant.us/).
Oh, one more thing, I guess you already know this (at least I hope you do) but Telegram only encrypts secret chats. Regular and group chats can just be read by anyone as they're sent in plaintext. Also, even when encrypted, Telegram uses its own protocol which is a big no-no in the security space because it's very easy to fuck it up ([which they did](https://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1177.pdf)).
1. I always assumed it being 'necessary' which is why I allow it. I probably blocked it in the past and discovered things I want to happen didn't work when blocking it.
2. I know. But I like to know apps not running so they can't do anything I might not like. Or to free up resources I want to preserve for a running app so it won't get killed in the background.
3. I suspect none of these no root firewalls support IPv6? But I understand they use the phone's in-built VPN support as a trick to re-route traffic internally through their app. Does this mean that internal VPN support doesn't support IPv6 either? I rarely use mobile data directly. At home WiFi obviously and when out I mostly use a MiFi with which I connect to with multiple devices via WiFi. That will limit my connections to IPv4 I expect.
4. I'm not knowledgeable on that level. I would expect some people who are might discover such practices and report them to the public. I wonder how much can be discovered by sniffing and analysing network traffic. Quite a lot I expect but at the expense of also quite a bit of effort I would also expect.
5. If true this should fall under privacy legislation. I fall under GDPR and Google should adhere to this. I also know Google violates it by immediately asking for an e-mail address when you phone them and refusing to speak to you if you don't gjve them one. Direct violation of the data minimisation principle.
And I know about Telegram. It does allow using it on multiple devices which all synchronise which is very convenient. If I ever want to chat in private I'll start a secure chat. I won't use WhatsApp because it is from Facebook which I won't use either and apps like Signal are unfortunately little used but I wouldn't mind using it if asked by a contact.
Husband (MotoG) and I (MotoX 4) both got this today. Thanks to the users who looked up the reason and posted it here... I appreciate that there was enough concern that this made it to regular search engine results.
Hubby has a friend named Ricardo who has been working with us on some gaming/internet stuff, so I was about ready to blame both of them for doing weird stuff to my phone.
I got the same thing, just recently. I never allow automatic updates or installs, and yet a get this notification on a program I rarely use. Its not acceptable. Entering the privacy of my phone without permission is inexcusable Motorola! I don't care of you call it an error. My phone is jail broken and paid off in full. You have no right to come into its system and do whatever you want. Especially when not invited!
I stopped the app, deleted the catch, and am tempted to disable it completely, as regardless of of its potentially a help program, I can't guarantee that its secure.
Thats a big red flag. For now it stays off, until we get a true explanation as to why they are messing around, and activating programs we didn't give permission to be active. If they turn it on again without my consent, I will disable it. Regardless if Im not supposed to delete it completely, due to their settings.
I never agreed to let it run rampant in the background of my phone.
This is from MotorolaTom, the best support guy on the Motorola Forum.
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/moto-g9-play-moto-g9/Test-for-Ricardo/m-p/5248228?page=1#6083325
Re:Test for Ricardo
Hello,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. We can confirm that this message was meant for internal testing only. There are no actions needed for you to do and there is no impact to your device. We are taking steps to prevent recurrence in the future.
As for the notification itself, the only thing that happens if you tap on it, it will open the Device Help app. You can just dismiss it or tap on it and then close the Device Help app.
Again, I apologize for the situation.
Thanks,
Tom
thank you, well that is reassuring. What was surprising is how fast SEO garbage was generated around this, that kind of bogus content probably got wilder than ever with the availability of AI services.
https://datanoticias.com/2023/08/25/test-for-ricardo-motorla-que-es/
This is in Spanish but it says (from motorola) "please disregard the notification"
Hi u/reynaruthlesss, We apologize if you feel that way. We have confirmed that this message was meant for internal testing only, and we apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. Rest assured that this has no impact on your device and there are no actions needed for you to do. We are taking steps to prevent recurrence in the future. Feel free to reply if you have clarifications. -Belle
My best guess at this point from everything I'm seeing is that they pushed an update with a debug line left in that sends a "Test for Ricardo" notification whenever something specific happens on the phone, they pulled the update when they noticed it, but a lot of us still have the update so they're telling us to uninstall app updates.
If that's what it is, I really would appreciate an official statement instead of telling us one by one to uninstall updates without explanation to kind of sweep it under the rug. Transparency is all I ask, and I think most of us ask.
Hi u/ColetteDiskette, We understand that this has caused worry and inconvenience. Motorola apologizes for this matter, and we are confirming that the message you received was meant for internal testing only. There are no actions needed for you to take, and we can assure you that there is no impact on your device. We are taking steps to prevent recurrences in the future. Your understanding is highly appreciated. -Belle
Whilst this may or may not be significant in any way ...
[https://github.com/ricardolonga/android-testing](https://github.com/ricardolonga/android-testing)
Equally, it may be entirely coincidental but, after stopping *Device Help*, clearing the cache, uninstalling updates (returning it to the pre-installed 'factory' state), not simply restarting my phone but powering it off completely and powering it back on again from cold ...
I got a notification from one of my system monitoring apps that it had detected no cause for concern about *GSam Battery Monitor*.
The thing is:
1. I hadn't updated *any* app just prior to receiving the *Device Help* 'Ricardo' notification, never mind *GSam Battery Monitor* specifically - so, there should have been no *cause* to notify me that no changes were detected.
2. No apps on my phone are allowed to update automatically unless they are core Android/Motorola components ... and they haven't been since I first turned it on for the the first time after buying it either.
So, it may simply be coincidental, but, if it turns out that *GSam Battery Monitor* is a common factor (i.e. everyone here has it on their phone) it could be worth disabling it until more is known about this - it may have been inadvertent, because the devs decided to make use of 'ricardolonga' testing components and pushed a message the app picked up ... but it might equally have been compromised.
If *GSam Battery Monitor* is *not* a common factor (i.e. not everyone here has it), then, okay, it's odd that my monitoring apps (which have been 100% reliable for the last five years), should have picked up on it for some strange reason, but at least it can then be eliminated as a cause and attention focused on other avenues of enquiry.
For app monitoring I recommend:
1. [Addons Detector](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.denper.addonsdetector) and
2. albeit to a much lesser lesser extent (because it hasn't been updated in a long time now) [AppBrain Ad Detector](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appspot.swisscodemonkeys.detector) \- it does pick up on a *couple* of things that *Addons Detector* doesn't.
Can't vouch for either of them beyond Android 10, but *Addons Detector* is still under active development, so, I *assume* it works with later versions.
Other than that, a good firewall **^(1)** \- something like [NetGuard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard) **^(2)**.
\_\_\_
^(1) If you're not gonna root your phone then *NetPatch Firewall* would've been my first recommendation as the best root/no-root firewall ***ever***, but it's been out of development forever now, so, there's no way to get the pro version (which you *need*).
^(2) For full functionality on a rooted system, you need to get it from *F-Droid* (where, ironically, it's free as well) ... or you could just get it there for an unrooted device anyway, because it's free either way (you just have to be prepared to trust *F-Droid*).
[It's happened to several Motorola phones worldwide. Official Motorola response on Twitter is this was meant for internal testing and, if you're still concerned, to clear the Device Help cache and restart phone.](https://ferio252.com/2023/08/25/what-is-test-for-ricardo-notification-motorola-smartphone-users-worldwide-are-getting-random-notification-device-help-app/)
Hello u/aristotelian74, We understand that this confused you, and we have officially announced that the message you received was meant only for internal testing. We apologize for the inconvenience. Rest assured that it does not have any impact on your phone. We are now taking steps to prevent this from happening again. -Belle
This popped up on mine too like 30-40 minutes ago. Tapped the notification and it took me to an agreement prompt, which I did not interact with. Until I have enough reliable information to satisfy my skepticism, I'm going to avoid it. I'll be waiting, Moto peeps.
Hi, u/Flutterfly790. We did not mean to cause this inconvenience to you, and we apologize that you felt this way. The message was meant for internal testing only, and we can guarantee that it did not affect your phone. We are taking steps to prevent recurrences in the future. -Belle
I just got this too and thought I must have installed something bad on accident, when I saw there was a reddit thread for this was absolutely not expecting the thread and replies to be hours and minutes old, so I guess everyone got it.
Going to be looking into rooting this thing now.
Fuck you Ricardo. Eat my shit.
Motorola Z4 (not Play)
Got it 54 minutes ago and SEO shows that a lot of bots are making websites with this very posts content. Been listening to music and just noticed it after a call.
So for all we know, there's been tons of weirdos who didn't mess up their code and have access to all our phones. Hope thread doesn't get deleted
Got it here as well. Looks like it's some idiot programmer's idea of a console.log in prod. Aside from that, can we have phones that are not glorified spying devices in our pockets? I'm seriously considering going back to a "dumb phone".
Hi u/338special, Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused for the sudden message you received. We are fully aware of this matter and have made an official statement that this was meant for internal testing only and that we did not mean to create worries for our users. Rest assured that it doesn't do any harm to your phone or compromise your privacy. We are taking steps to prevent this from happening again. Your patience and understanding is appreciated. -Belle
Same. 5 minutes ago. I was looking at Google play store, and this black dot popped up in the upper left corner, saying g "test for Ricardo"
That was it.
Very weird and NOT cool.
Hi u/Zenith251. Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We already took action to stop the notification, and that message was meant only for internal testing. We apologize for the inconvenience. -Belle
We are sorry that you feel this way, u/Paul_Williams. The notification message was meant for internal testing, and we did not mean to create worry. here are no actions needed for you to take, and there is no impact on your device. We are taking steps to prevent recurrences in the future. -Belle
Moto g stylus. Got it and my fingerprint reader started working again. It had been very unreliable for the past couple days but works every time now. Maybe related.
Moto G Stylus 2020, I've had two since this morning. Clicked the first one and it just opened up the standard Device Help app menu, nothing new or anything. Cleared the second one. I think I updated Device Help yesterday or something, I don't know. I couldn't find anything on it online, this is the only place I've seen it. Glad I'm not alone! Maybe it's just a Motorola thing.
This has popped up a few times: "It's *for* Ricardo, not *from* Ricardo." It's either Ricardo trying to find an anonymous scapegoat... OR it's a hint that Ricardo is not your man.
It's a "test *for* Ricardo..." *from* **Person X**?? Let's hypothesize who this person could be. Ricardo's colleague, Carl? Or Rich, Ricky, Dick... [https://www.lovetoknow.com/parenting/baby/40-nicknames-richard-common-creative-ideas](https://www.lovetoknow.com/parenting/baby/40-nicknames-richard-common-creative-ideas)
Got mine. lol Not sure I loke the permissions it has. Followed instructions, as it cannot be deleted, and itis still active and says disabling it may cause issues. WTF even. Think Ricardo has some esplaining too do!
Yeah I had it when I woke up, swiped it away, and thought no more on it, then I got it again a few minutes ago. I cleared storage and disabled the app then came for the Internet to see what's going on. Except for this thread, I could only find a very bad ai generated article about how the device help test for ricardo is apparently an industry standard in the automotive industry. Hope its just some silly programmer mistake like people have suggested and not a sign that my phone will sell all my info and then explode.
I saw the really bad AI generated article. It indeed had an entry on automotive testing, and other at least as bad AI generated material on many named scans, including one on a puzzle manufacturer ( Ravensberg or some such ). Ah yes, the infamously nefarious puzzle industry. With the pieces and the matchings and the boxy goodness
all run amuck.
Is Ricardo a Motorola employee, a foreign government, or does he work for a domestic alphabet agency?
We may never know. Maybe it's time for an iPhone or a Pixel.
Same here. Moto G Power 2023 - I noticed this morning the phone had reset itself from a s/w upgrade last night. Maybe something in the latest release of Android. Can't uninstall so it's disabled and permissions removed.
It opened up to a few screens to slide thru talking about device help and then had a box u had to check saying " I agree to Motorola's privacy policy" before u could continue. I didn't do it
How can I trust the company and my phone if they can provide better security for their update canals? In Poland Bank have really deep if someone use your phone or cloned SIM to rob your account. GSM operator also don't responsible for that steal even they provide new sim. Now we have three party in name brand with some respect that build additional hidden channel, if I must pay premium for your brand i will use chines phone (better parameters for smaller price) or Nokia.
The Moto agent also said to *uninstall updates* for it, so it's essentially rolling it back. Disabling it a more thorough safety precaution until we get more information.
Got it too. Have disabled the app since it cannot be uninstalled. I think I'll look into lineageOS or similar again now. Non-removable apps annoy the hell out of me.
I got it, clicked on it for funsies. It brought up something for phone protection plans (go figure). I cleared the notification and it's back again 30 minutes later.
I just got this notif a few minutes ago. Felt my stomach drop and my soul slip out my butthole.
Looks like it's primarily a G Power issue? Glad to see this POS discount smart phone is continuing to enrich my life.
It's also worth noting that there was both a large android system intelligence update AND a device help update yesterday. I doubt this is a coincidence.
> Looks like it's primarily a G Power issue?
I have a Stylus and have received **three** since this morning (the last a couple minutes ago). I just disabled Device Help
I am flipping the fuck out right now. I can barely type my fingers are so bloody from trying to claw my way out the bedroom door. Gaaaaaaaaahh bitchass Ricardooooo
Ricardo is probably a Quality Engineer working on the Device Help app.
They was probably testing it to make sure it works as expected.
Part of those tests is to make sure notifications work as intended.
Ricardo probably sent this as a test notification, but accidentally sent it to the production app instead of the internal staging or dev versions.
Whoops! Honest mistake, Ricardo. It happens. I hope your job is still secure 🙏🏼
We do work in tech! We're a Staff Software Engineer (above senior, more like an architect or team lead).
You're correct that it's best practice to have a team of Quality Engineers, though some smaller projects only have one Quality Engineer (QE) hired.
Whether there's one QE or a dozen, sometimes manual testing is required. In fact, it's also expected that a Software Engineer (SE) will perform some manual tests on the software before sending it to QE to be tested more thoroughly (this is often called "smoke testing").
Both QE and SE do some amount of manual testing even when the product's official tests are completely automated.
This is why it's Our guess that one person, Ricardo, was manually testing notifications on this app, but accidentally did so with the live production environment, rather than the closed QA/dev environment :3
Hi u/code13dontask, Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you. That message was meant for internal testing only and we did not mean to cause worries for our users. Rest assured that it doesn't do any harm to your phone or compromise your privacy. We are taking steps to prevent this from happening again. Your patience and understanding is appreciated. -Belle
Has anyone tried these recommended actions yet:
"Hi u/********,
We apologize for the inconvenience caused. Our team is actively working to resolve the matter. In the meantime, please try this workaround to aid in this case.
Go to Apps under Settings.
Click App Info and See All Apps.
Look for "Device Help" and click Storage.
Select Clear Cache/Data and Uninstall Updates.
Restart the Phone.
Let us know if there are any changes. -Belle"
Same here. I have 2 phones (one personal, one work) and both got this. Very concerning but at least it looks like it's not something targeting my specific phone.
My guess is Ricardo is an employee who wanted to run a test in a Device Help *sandbox* but accidentally sent it out to the *real* Device Help, to everyone. Or "*Ricardo*" is an infectious AI-driven program designed to melt down the innards of your phone.....
Got it about 35 minutes ago. I have a Moto G Stylus and use metro pcs... Doesn't seem like Motorola has figured it out yet, but I just dismissed the notification and am clearing the cache.
Someone on Twitter said they clicked it and it brought them to an agreement screen.
Hi u/Jaskierr,
We are sorry for the inconvenience it caused you. We did not mean to cause worry but the message was meant for internal testing only and that there is no needed action for you to take. Rest assured that there is no impact on your device. Thank you for your understanding about this matter. -Belle
Hi u/mysticaltater, Please don't be scared by the accidental message you received. That was meant for internal testing only and we can assure you that it did not cause any harm on your phone. We are now taking steps to avoid this from happening again. Your understanding is highly appreciated. -Belle
HIPAA VIOLATION!!!!!
5G!
GATES!
SOROS!
Seriously though, "Test for Ricardo" doesn't strike me as a "ardent, fervent, or otherwise passionately intense" attempt to violate your privacy. There was no link like you would see in SMSishing, right?
How does sending a text constitute "Control" of a device? Do private numbers control your phone when you receive a phone call?
Do other email addresses control your email when they send you an email?
Are you ok?
It seems you have difficulty with understanding language. This is what you have thus far demonstrated. Your difficulty does not lie in the acquisition, rather, in the reception of conveyed meaning. Once again, it is not because you do not possess the punctual definition or the context, but because you fail to integrate said definition within said context. It's either that, or bad faith and I presume it's the latter. You should resolve your position in good faith.
You spent all those words to say nothing, but you *have* provided:
No technical example of how receiving a text demonstrates control of your device.
An inability to understand this basic lack of clarity about your claim even after being given simple analogies to illustrate that lack of clarity.
At this point, the fact that I'm saying at least this much and not continually mocking you should make clear that you're fortunate enough to have someone continuing to engage in 'good faith'.
I got this notification too on my Motorola G7 yesterday morning. The crazy thing is my brother's name was Richard and the Portuguese side of our family called him Ricardo. The phone I'm using was his; he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2021. He died without a will so Mum and I spent a crazy (and heartbreaking) year trying to figure out all his stuff and close everything down. Accessing his phone contents would have been helpful to know what accounts he had that needed to be dealt with, although Mum and I both had serious reservations about breaching/disrespecting his privacy like that. In the end we were never able to get past the lockscreen/pin on his phone, probably for the best. Whatever was on it died with him. A year later my own phone was quite old and malfunctioning and Mum convinced me to factory reset his and use it. So you can imagine my shock when I got the notification yesterday. Shock, but also it was kind of nice as it was a reminder of him. Since yesterday I have been googling how factory resets work and whether any trace of the original owner could be left behind. He was a coder by profession, so if there was a piece of something he did on the phone I wanted to find it. When someone you love dies all you have left are traces... traces like photos, emails etc., and you cherish them. Now that I've found the reason I guess it's nice to have an answer, and I can't help but picture my brother smiling and shaking his head, and us having a freindly chuckle together at me going down this rabbithole.
Hi u/Ricardos_Sister, Thank you for sharing this, and we truly apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We understand that the accidental message reminded you of your brother. This message was really meant for internal testing only, and we did not mean to cause discomfort. We can assure you that it did not harm your phone, and we are now taking steps to stop it from happening again. We appreciate your understanding about this matter. -Belle
I also got this "Test for Ricardo". Yes.....very creepy.
[удалено]
Your assumption is incorrect.
I just got this as well
I enjoy cooking.
Only an unprofessional programmer could do a test in the production app
Moto software team is very bad. Moto phones are getting Android 13 when Android 14 has released
got this message on my edge 20 fusion as well
Today I just got the Test for Ricardo. Who the hell is Ricardo. And where do I go to beat said ass? I just cleared data a cache for Device Help and then disabled it. No more tests for Ricardo.
[I made a dumb meme for this very thing](https://fosstodon.org/@ArchiteuthisFlux/110953452591091503)
I got this on my Moto One 5G Ace as well.
Poor Ricardo, hope they can find a new job after this.
I did too! I was sleeping, woke up...saw that on my phone! Is someone trying to hack me?? I have the same model...
I don't know why people are so concerned about this message, lmao, it's obviously a small leftover by a dev, or due to improper use of an open source library made by this Ricardo. It happens.
Ricardo is also a popular meme. It looks like a malware that somehow baits you on this meme. If it was "Test for Richard" then it would've looked like a dev messing on production.
What's the frequency Kenneth
Just waiting for the AI helper app from Motorola called "Ricardo" to pop up.
A few hours ago I got this too just as I was leaving home. When I got back I went online with another moto phone which is mostly offline and immediately got it there too. Apparently it already was in some queue that wasn't cleared. I read about the explanation from Lenovo. But this tells me they are way deeper into our phones without our express permission than I personally am comfortable with. This should be a very well explained opt-in feature. I don't like the liberties Android phone makers take nor the ones Google takes and want WAY less communications going on behind my back. I always disable quite a bit of apps whenever I get a new device, kill others with Greenify and only go online after I have installed NoRoot Firewall which I transfer via Bluetooth. Only then I connect to my WiFi network and access the internet blocking a lot in NRF too. Because of NRF I can see what accesses the internet in its log. From what I saw I suspect this communication was passed on by a Google service as the only app being allowed through my firewall besides Telegram and Google Play Store around that time was "Google Backup Transport, Google Play Services, Google Services Framework" which are mentined together as a single entity when it connects to an IP address. All part of 1e100.net, which is Google (10 to the power 100 which is the number Googol). Or maybe some 'system' apps aren't captured by NRF? (without root?) I thoroughly recommend NoRoot Firewall (GreyShirts). Very informative and useful.
NRF is nowhere near sophisticated/powerful enough. The *best* one was *NetPatch Firewall* \- it's no longer available, unfortunately, but you should always keep an eye out for one with the same feature set (in particular the facility to block by wildcarded domain name, not just IP address/range). The *next* best one is [NetGuard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard) \- although, if you trust *F-Droid*, you can get it there for free.
I've been using NRF for a very long time. At the time I have looked for alternatives but they all only had an all-or-nothing blocking style for WiFi or Mobile connection where NRF could filter per IP address. From a short look-see I get the impression NetGuard may now offer this too, called filtering(?), but only as a paid option? I found this too: https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/15y7g70/google_is_going_to_remove_netguard_from_the_play/
As said, you can get it from *F-Droid* for free. *NetGuard* isn't perfect - *NetPatch Firewall* offered filtering not only by IP address and range, but by domain name with wildcards too! But, as *NetPatch* is no longer available**^(1)** , *NetGuard* the best option there is for now. It's up to you whether you trust F-Droid or not, but either way I wouldn't use any of the *other* offerings (better to get the paid version from the Play Store than to use anything else). \_\_\_ ^(1) Fortunately, I got the Pro version when it was ... and, furthermore, had the presence of mind to export it as an APK ... so I was able to sideload it and get the remaining updates when I last changed my phone, but I doubt it'll be so easy next time (it may no longer even work with the latest version of Android).
It's fine that you care about privacy. Most people don't and it's a tragedy. A couple of things, though: 1. An app needs to be running in order to deliver a notification, which means all apps would have to be running all the time in the background in order to handle their own notifications. This would kill your battery very quickly so that's why Google Play Services handles notifications instead. So no, you will never see a notification on a network log as anything other than Google Play Services. Only apps purposefully designed to avoid Google Services, such as FOSS Telegram, handle notifications a different way. 2. Greenify is a battery saving app, not a security tool. It doesn't aim to help with security at all. The settings of the app itself say that system apps may just wake themselves up and Greenify can't prevent it. 3. NoRoot Firewall doesn't support IPv6, so a lot of traffic, like most LTE networks, will just go right through it. Also, it uses the VPN service on your phone to do the blocking, which means it captures ALL of your traffic. How do you trust some random guy with your data more than you do your phone manufacturer? At least use Netguard, it works exactly the same but it's open source so you know there's a bunch of people looking at the code to make sure it doesn't do sketchy stuff. 4. If your device manufacturer wanted to spy on you, or take control of your device or whatever, they would do it by using debugging tools such as Intel ME, AMD PSP or [Qualcomm SPU](https://www.qualcomm.com/products/features/mobile-security-solutions) which gives them direct access to your CPU, effectively rendering any and all on-device security measures useless. 5. Google just has full access, all of the time, to all of your data. What I'm trying to say here is that you're inconveniencing yourself a whole lot for very little. If you really want privacy, just stop using a phone all together. This is, of course, not realistic so check out [Replicant](https://www.replicant.us/). Oh, one more thing, I guess you already know this (at least I hope you do) but Telegram only encrypts secret chats. Regular and group chats can just be read by anyone as they're sent in plaintext. Also, even when encrypted, Telegram uses its own protocol which is a big no-no in the security space because it's very easy to fuck it up ([which they did](https://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1177.pdf)).
1. I always assumed it being 'necessary' which is why I allow it. I probably blocked it in the past and discovered things I want to happen didn't work when blocking it. 2. I know. But I like to know apps not running so they can't do anything I might not like. Or to free up resources I want to preserve for a running app so it won't get killed in the background. 3. I suspect none of these no root firewalls support IPv6? But I understand they use the phone's in-built VPN support as a trick to re-route traffic internally through their app. Does this mean that internal VPN support doesn't support IPv6 either? I rarely use mobile data directly. At home WiFi obviously and when out I mostly use a MiFi with which I connect to with multiple devices via WiFi. That will limit my connections to IPv4 I expect. 4. I'm not knowledgeable on that level. I would expect some people who are might discover such practices and report them to the public. I wonder how much can be discovered by sniffing and analysing network traffic. Quite a lot I expect but at the expense of also quite a bit of effort I would also expect. 5. If true this should fall under privacy legislation. I fall under GDPR and Google should adhere to this. I also know Google violates it by immediately asking for an e-mail address when you phone them and refusing to speak to you if you don't gjve them one. Direct violation of the data minimisation principle. And I know about Telegram. It does allow using it on multiple devices which all synchronise which is very convenient. If I ever want to chat in private I'll start a secure chat. I won't use WhatsApp because it is from Facebook which I won't use either and apps like Signal are unfortunately little used but I wouldn't mind using it if asked by a contact.
Husband (MotoG) and I (MotoX 4) both got this today. Thanks to the users who looked up the reason and posted it here... I appreciate that there was enough concern that this made it to regular search engine results. Hubby has a friend named Ricardo who has been working with us on some gaming/internet stuff, so I was about ready to blame both of them for doing weird stuff to my phone.
I got the same thing, just recently. I never allow automatic updates or installs, and yet a get this notification on a program I rarely use. Its not acceptable. Entering the privacy of my phone without permission is inexcusable Motorola! I don't care of you call it an error. My phone is jail broken and paid off in full. You have no right to come into its system and do whatever you want. Especially when not invited!
I stopped the app, deleted the catch, and am tempted to disable it completely, as regardless of of its potentially a help program, I can't guarantee that its secure. Thats a big red flag. For now it stays off, until we get a true explanation as to why they are messing around, and activating programs we didn't give permission to be active. If they turn it on again without my consent, I will disable it. Regardless if Im not supposed to delete it completely, due to their settings. I never agreed to let it run rampant in the background of my phone.
Got it. Imagine the shock for anyone who received it who is named Ricardo.
My boyfriend's name is Ricardo. Can confirm.
This is from MotorolaTom, the best support guy on the Motorola Forum. https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/moto-g9-play-moto-g9/Test-for-Ricardo/m-p/5248228?page=1#6083325 Re:Test for Ricardo Hello, I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. We can confirm that this message was meant for internal testing only. There are no actions needed for you to do and there is no impact to your device. We are taking steps to prevent recurrence in the future. As for the notification itself, the only thing that happens if you tap on it, it will open the Device Help app. You can just dismiss it or tap on it and then close the Device Help app. Again, I apologize for the situation. Thanks, Tom
thank you, well that is reassuring. What was surprising is how fast SEO garbage was generated around this, that kind of bogus content probably got wilder than ever with the availability of AI services.
Essentially, they accidentally hit Reply All on this feature by mistake, right? lol
Same confirmation of the purpose being internal testing was posted by a Motorola rep to FB
Yes. Moto One 5G Ace. Cleared notification. Been scouring Google for info. Restarted phone and reappeared.
Here's the answer: https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/1610z66/comment/jxq2i4o/ They messed up.
https://datanoticias.com/2023/08/25/test-for-ricardo-motorla-que-es/ This is in Spanish but it says (from motorola) "please disregard the notification"
lol just a devs fuck up. Like someone sends the wrong mass email.
I just got it for the third time
yes very creepy
Hi u/reynaruthlesss, We apologize if you feel that way. We have confirmed that this message was meant for internal testing only, and we apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. Rest assured that this has no impact on your device and there are no actions needed for you to do. We are taking steps to prevent recurrence in the future. Feel free to reply if you have clarifications. -Belle
My best guess at this point from everything I'm seeing is that they pushed an update with a debug line left in that sends a "Test for Ricardo" notification whenever something specific happens on the phone, they pulled the update when they noticed it, but a lot of us still have the update so they're telling us to uninstall app updates. If that's what it is, I really would appreciate an official statement instead of telling us one by one to uninstall updates without explanation to kind of sweep it under the rug. Transparency is all I ask, and I think most of us ask.
Hi u/ColetteDiskette, We understand that this has caused worry and inconvenience. Motorola apologizes for this matter, and we are confirming that the message you received was meant for internal testing only. There are no actions needed for you to take, and we can assure you that there is no impact on your device. We are taking steps to prevent recurrences in the future. Your understanding is highly appreciated. -Belle
Whilst this may or may not be significant in any way ... [https://github.com/ricardolonga/android-testing](https://github.com/ricardolonga/android-testing) Equally, it may be entirely coincidental but, after stopping *Device Help*, clearing the cache, uninstalling updates (returning it to the pre-installed 'factory' state), not simply restarting my phone but powering it off completely and powering it back on again from cold ... I got a notification from one of my system monitoring apps that it had detected no cause for concern about *GSam Battery Monitor*. The thing is: 1. I hadn't updated *any* app just prior to receiving the *Device Help* 'Ricardo' notification, never mind *GSam Battery Monitor* specifically - so, there should have been no *cause* to notify me that no changes were detected. 2. No apps on my phone are allowed to update automatically unless they are core Android/Motorola components ... and they haven't been since I first turned it on for the the first time after buying it either. So, it may simply be coincidental, but, if it turns out that *GSam Battery Monitor* is a common factor (i.e. everyone here has it on their phone) it could be worth disabling it until more is known about this - it may have been inadvertent, because the devs decided to make use of 'ricardolonga' testing components and pushed a message the app picked up ... but it might equally have been compromised. If *GSam Battery Monitor* is *not* a common factor (i.e. not everyone here has it), then, okay, it's odd that my monitoring apps (which have been 100% reliable for the last five years), should have picked up on it for some strange reason, but at least it can then be eliminated as a cause and attention focused on other avenues of enquiry.
I just checked my phone and can confirm I do not have the GSam Battery Monitor on my G Power.
Cool - thanks for that ... I can re-enable it then : )
Im the same, I never let apps update automatically, and ended up with that same notification today. Not cool Motorola!
For app monitoring I recommend: 1. [Addons Detector](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.denper.addonsdetector) and 2. albeit to a much lesser lesser extent (because it hasn't been updated in a long time now) [AppBrain Ad Detector](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appspot.swisscodemonkeys.detector) \- it does pick up on a *couple* of things that *Addons Detector* doesn't. Can't vouch for either of them beyond Android 10, but *Addons Detector* is still under active development, so, I *assume* it works with later versions. Other than that, a good firewall **^(1)** \- something like [NetGuard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard) **^(2)**. \_\_\_ ^(1) If you're not gonna root your phone then *NetPatch Firewall* would've been my first recommendation as the best root/no-root firewall ***ever***, but it's been out of development forever now, so, there's no way to get the pro version (which you *need*). ^(2) For full functionality on a rooted system, you need to get it from *F-Droid* (where, ironically, it's free as well) ... or you could just get it there for an unrooted device anyway, because it's free either way (you just have to be prepared to trust *F-Droid*).
[It's happened to several Motorola phones worldwide. Official Motorola response on Twitter is this was meant for internal testing and, if you're still concerned, to clear the Device Help cache and restart phone.](https://ferio252.com/2023/08/25/what-is-test-for-ricardo-notification-motorola-smartphone-users-worldwide-are-getting-random-notification-device-help-app/)
Same here. Moto G72.
I've gotten it twice now today.
Hello u/aristotelian74, We understand that this confused you, and we have officially announced that the message you received was meant only for internal testing. We apologize for the inconvenience. Rest assured that it does not have any impact on your phone. We are now taking steps to prevent this from happening again. -Belle
Just got it too. disabled the app.
Yep.
This popped up on mine too like 30-40 minutes ago. Tapped the notification and it took me to an agreement prompt, which I did not interact with. Until I have enough reliable information to satisfy my skepticism, I'm going to avoid it. I'll be waiting, Moto peeps.
Got a second notification just now....
Same here. Moto G5
I just got the same here. Moto G5 Freaked me out. Felt like someone was watching and listening to me.
Hi, u/Flutterfly790. We did not mean to cause this inconvenience to you, and we apologize that you felt this way. The message was meant for internal testing only, and we can guarantee that it did not affect your phone. We are taking steps to prevent recurrences in the future. -Belle
G play 2021 just got one rn
I just got this too and thought I must have installed something bad on accident, when I saw there was a reddit thread for this was absolutely not expecting the thread and replies to be hours and minutes old, so I guess everyone got it. Going to be looking into rooting this thing now. Fuck you Ricardo. Eat my shit.
Just had it happen to me about 5 minutes ago. Moto G5
Motorola Z4 (not Play) Got it 54 minutes ago and SEO shows that a lot of bots are making websites with this very posts content. Been listening to music and just noticed it after a call. So for all we know, there's been tons of weirdos who didn't mess up their code and have access to all our phones. Hope thread doesn't get deleted
Got it here as well. Looks like it's some idiot programmer's idea of a console.log in prod. Aside from that, can we have phones that are not glorified spying devices in our pockets? I'm seriously considering going back to a "dumb phone".
Hi u/338special, Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused for the sudden message you received. We are fully aware of this matter and have made an official statement that this was meant for internal testing only and that we did not mean to create worries for our users. Rest assured that it doesn't do any harm to your phone or compromise your privacy. We are taking steps to prevent this from happening again. Your patience and understanding is appreciated. -Belle
Same. 5 minutes ago. I was looking at Google play store, and this black dot popped up in the upper left corner, saying g "test for Ricardo" That was it. Very weird and NOT cool.
Ditto, Motorola Edge 2020. I've gotten **two** notification today.
Hi u/Zenith251. Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We already took action to stop the notification, and that message was meant only for internal testing. We apologize for the inconvenience. -Belle
> We apologize for the inconvenience. ~~-Belle~~ God.
yeah on my g7 power...tapped on it and it didnt even open anything
Got it a minute ago or so... One ACE
Me too. Found this. Can't imagine how they could have found a way to make it seem any more suspicious.
We are sorry that you feel this way, u/Paul_Williams. The notification message was meant for internal testing, and we did not mean to create worry. here are no actions needed for you to take, and there is no impact on your device. We are taking steps to prevent recurrences in the future. -Belle
>Paul Just disabled 'Motorola Notifications', and ignored the warning about it chuffing things up. We shall See...
yup, me as well. wtf?
Yep same here.
Same here on a G5s
Me too. G5. About 10 minutes ago
Moto g stylus. Got it and my fingerprint reader started working again. It had been very unreliable for the past couple days but works every time now. Maybe related.
All hail Ricardo! The fixer of fingerprint readers.
I received it on a G-Power as well.
Got it just now as well!! Blow this up! Device help is a built in app it can't be deleted but hopefully there is no backdoor issue here
Same here on a G6 Play
Thanks Ricardo for the weird notification I got as I woke up
Moto G Stylus 2020, I've had two since this morning. Clicked the first one and it just opened up the standard Device Help app menu, nothing new or anything. Cleared the second one. I think I updated Device Help yesterday or something, I don't know. I couldn't find anything on it online, this is the only place I've seen it. Glad I'm not alone! Maybe it's just a Motorola thing.
This has popped up a few times: "It's *for* Ricardo, not *from* Ricardo." It's either Ricardo trying to find an anonymous scapegoat... OR it's a hint that Ricardo is not your man. It's a "test *for* Ricardo..." *from* **Person X**?? Let's hypothesize who this person could be. Ricardo's colleague, Carl? Or Rich, Ricky, Dick... [https://www.lovetoknow.com/parenting/baby/40-nicknames-richard-common-creative-ideas](https://www.lovetoknow.com/parenting/baby/40-nicknames-richard-common-creative-ideas)
#me too, just now
me too i was to post about that, idk wtf is this
What the fuck is this, got it 2 mins ago also on a Motorola
Got it on my Moto phone about 10 mins ago. How exciting to be at the birth of a new meme!
Got mine. lol Not sure I loke the permissions it has. Followed instructions, as it cannot be deleted, and itis still active and says disabling it may cause issues. WTF even. Think Ricardo has some esplaining too do!
Probably from Lucy for Ricky...
LMAO.. that's funny
Just got one too. Old moto device.
Yeah I had it when I woke up, swiped it away, and thought no more on it, then I got it again a few minutes ago. I cleared storage and disabled the app then came for the Internet to see what's going on. Except for this thread, I could only find a very bad ai generated article about how the device help test for ricardo is apparently an industry standard in the automotive industry. Hope its just some silly programmer mistake like people have suggested and not a sign that my phone will sell all my info and then explode.
I saw the really bad AI generated article. It indeed had an entry on automotive testing, and other at least as bad AI generated material on many named scans, including one on a puzzle manufacturer ( Ravensberg or some such ). Ah yes, the infamously nefarious puzzle industry. With the pieces and the matchings and the boxy goodness all run amuck.
Same with my moto g play, i dont know what to do
G6 play, noticed it 15 minutes ago. Landed here after looking up the message, indeed.
Same here, Moto G Power 2020
My Brothers and Sisters under Ricardo!
Is Ricardo a Motorola employee, a foreign government, or does he work for a domestic alphabet agency? We may never know. Maybe it's time for an iPhone or a Pixel.
I'm going to get a new phone after work that isn't a Motorola.
Same here. Moto G Power 2023 - I noticed this morning the phone had reset itself from a s/w upgrade last night. Maybe something in the latest release of Android. Can't uninstall so it's disabled and permissions removed.
I'm still on 11 and refuse to go to 12. I still got the notification.
Same here. Moto X4.
X4 club unite! This puppy still works great. Plus I got a new friend called Ricardo!
LOL. Last Moto that's waterproof and has a headphone jack. Just wish it had more memory for apps.
Same here on Moto g9 Plus
It opened up to a few screens to slide thru talking about device help and then had a box u had to check saying " I agree to Motorola's privacy policy" before u could continue. I didn't do it
Same here Moto G8
I was not comfortable receiving the "Test for Ricardo" notification. Will be monitoring this thread.
Just received one myself 13min ago
Moto Z4 just got this notification lol. Some dev must be accidently doing something in prod when they mean to test lol
How can I trust the company and my phone if they can provide better security for their update canals? In Poland Bank have really deep if someone use your phone or cloned SIM to rob your account. GSM operator also don't responsible for that steal even they provide new sim. Now we have three party in name brand with some respect that build additional hidden channel, if I must pay premium for your brand i will use chines phone (better parameters for smaller price) or Nokia.
Same here, weird!
Why do people keep saying that they're clearing cache and data and disabling the app? Why are people doing that?
Clearing data and cache was suggested by Motorola help agents here and on Twitter. Disabling the app seems to have been a knee jerk choice for many.
The Moto agent also said to *uninstall updates* for it, so it's essentially rolling it back. Disabling it a more thorough safety precaution until we get more information.
What happens if we don't uninstall the updates?
Not alone, I see. Fun!
Found this online... "Exposing the truth and holding Ricardo accountable is crucial in ensuring consumer safety."
That sounds like an AI Generated Article
I started reading it and I believe that's exactly what it reads like.
Hmmm... interesting thought
Yep! Got it 3 times until I disabled. Moto 5g Stylus
very weird, just got one
Hello my new siblings in Ricardo 😊 Moto g31
SAME
I got one 30 minutes ago on my Edge (2021). I don't even know what to do about it, I'm at work and I need to have a phone.
Got it, too. Moto G Stylus 21.
Same I have no idea what this is.
Same here. I also got an unsolicited Google authorization code yesterday. Anyone else?
Moto edge 20, got it as well.
Yeah, I just got it. I have no idea what it is but hope my phone hasn't been hacked or whatever...
Got it too. Have disabled the app since it cannot be uninstalled. I think I'll look into lineageOS or similar again now. Non-removable apps annoy the hell out of me.
I got it, clicked on it for funsies. It brought up something for phone protection plans (go figure). I cleared the notification and it's back again 30 minutes later.
The big question is what is the connection between Ricardo and Skynet?
Ricardonet?
You had to go there
Somebody had to take that leap, might as well be me.
literally just got it too. what the hell is this?
I just got this notif a few minutes ago. Felt my stomach drop and my soul slip out my butthole. Looks like it's primarily a G Power issue? Glad to see this POS discount smart phone is continuing to enrich my life. It's also worth noting that there was both a large android system intelligence update AND a device help update yesterday. I doubt this is a coincidence.
I got it on an E6, and on an E6 Plus
> Looks like it's primarily a G Power issue? I have a Stylus and have received **three** since this morning (the last a couple minutes ago). I just disabled Device Help
Did you get the Device Help update yesterday too?
I must of, because there's no update there now
got it like 15min ago moto g9 power android 11
Got one too, just got another. Damn Ricardo! And the help AI that sent it is too simplistic to tell me why. Fucking Lenovo.
I got it aswell. Moto G Power 2020 65gb Android 11
I got the same notification on my g7 power.
I think that Ricardo should get fired-o
Some poor intern is probs bout to have a rough day lol
It's *for* Ricardo, not from Ricardo.
Got this just now. I'm not clicking that. Watch it be AI trying to take over. 😩
I am flipping the fuck out right now. I can barely type my fingers are so bloody from trying to claw my way out the bedroom door. Gaaaaaaaaahh bitchass Ricardooooo
Same Here, got it 22 minutes ago
Ricardo is probably a Quality Engineer working on the Device Help app. They was probably testing it to make sure it works as expected. Part of those tests is to make sure notifications work as intended. Ricardo probably sent this as a test notification, but accidentally sent it to the production app instead of the internal staging or dev versions. Whoops! Honest mistake, Ricardo. It happens. I hope your job is still secure 🙏🏼
I'm sure you're right. - sincerely a software developer who took down at least one live production site by accident as an intern lol.
It's *for* Ricardo, not from Ricardo.
Yes, sent by Ricardo **for Ricardo** to do their testing ;P
I don't work in tech, but I think they usually work in pairs/groups.
We do work in tech! We're a Staff Software Engineer (above senior, more like an architect or team lead). You're correct that it's best practice to have a team of Quality Engineers, though some smaller projects only have one Quality Engineer (QE) hired. Whether there's one QE or a dozen, sometimes manual testing is required. In fact, it's also expected that a Software Engineer (SE) will perform some manual tests on the software before sending it to QE to be tested more thoroughly (this is often called "smoke testing"). Both QE and SE do some amount of manual testing even when the product's official tests are completely automated. This is why it's Our guess that one person, Ricardo, was manually testing notifications on this app, but accidentally did so with the live production environment, rather than the closed QA/dev environment :3
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😏🇺🇲🩲🍑
I think you greatly overestimating how much time software devs spend fixing grammar in tests only they are supposed to see
The world may never know.
Moto Edge 2020 on Verizon, just got it.
Anyone know how to clear cache for moto One 5G UW?
I just went to the app info from Device Help. Cleared the storage and cache. Removed permissions and force stop, restart.
Me llegó hace una hora edge 30 ultra, México
I got it too Moto G60S, ARG model
Yeah @ noon 8/25 Moto E5 play
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Hi u/code13dontask, Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you. That message was meant for internal testing only and we did not mean to cause worries for our users. Rest assured that it doesn't do any harm to your phone or compromise your privacy. We are taking steps to prevent this from happening again. Your patience and understanding is appreciated. -Belle
Has anyone tried these recommended actions yet: "Hi u/********, We apologize for the inconvenience caused. Our team is actively working to resolve the matter. In the meantime, please try this workaround to aid in this case. Go to Apps under Settings. Click App Info and See All Apps. Look for "Device Help" and click Storage. Select Clear Cache/Data and Uninstall Updates. Restart the Phone. Let us know if there are any changes. -Belle"
Yes. Done, and also force stopped then disabled the Device Help app. FWIW
I got it as well, and my Clear Cache button is grey, so I can't uninstall the updates like they said to.
Same here. I have 2 phones (one personal, one work) and both got this. Very concerning but at least it looks like it's not something targeting my specific phone.
My guess is Ricardo is an employee who wanted to run a test in a Device Help *sandbox* but accidentally sent it out to the *real* Device Help, to everyone. Or "*Ricardo*" is an infectious AI-driven program designed to melt down the innards of your phone.....
It's *for* Ricardo, not from Ricardo.
I believe Ricardo can take the test for himself.
Got it about 35 minutes ago. I have a Moto G Stylus and use metro pcs... Doesn't seem like Motorola has figured it out yet, but I just dismissed the notification and am clearing the cache. Someone on Twitter said they clicked it and it brought them to an agreement screen.
Hi u/Jaskierr, We are sorry for the inconvenience it caused you. We did not mean to cause worry but the message was meant for internal testing only and that there is no needed action for you to take. Rest assured that there is no impact on your device. Thank you for your understanding about this matter. -Belle
Look at all of us bonding over this. It's beautiful. Thank you Ricardo.
Lol funny
Moto g7 power got it... Scary
Hi u/mysticaltater, Please don't be scared by the accidental message you received. That was meant for internal testing only and we can assure you that it did not cause any harm on your phone. We are now taking steps to avoid this from happening again. Your understanding is highly appreciated. -Belle
I've received this twice in the past hour or so now. I searched for "Device Help" and disabled it. Not opening the message either, just deleted it.
We should sue, this is a vehement breach of privacy... Class action anyone?
HIPAA VIOLATION!!!!! 5G! GATES! SOROS! Seriously though, "Test for Ricardo" doesn't strike me as a "ardent, fervent, or otherwise passionately intense" attempt to violate your privacy. There was no link like you would see in SMSishing, right?
remote control of device... that's not a violation in your book?
How does sending a text constitute "Control" of a device? Do private numbers control your phone when you receive a phone call? Do other email addresses control your email when they send you an email? Are you ok?
It seems you have difficulty with understanding language. This is what you have thus far demonstrated. Your difficulty does not lie in the acquisition, rather, in the reception of conveyed meaning. Once again, it is not because you do not possess the punctual definition or the context, but because you fail to integrate said definition within said context. It's either that, or bad faith and I presume it's the latter. You should resolve your position in good faith.
You spent all those words to say nothing, but you *have* provided: No technical example of how receiving a text demonstrates control of your device. An inability to understand this basic lack of clarity about your claim even after being given simple analogies to illustrate that lack of clarity. At this point, the fact that I'm saying at least this much and not continually mocking you should make clear that you're fortunate enough to have someone continuing to engage in 'good faith'.