In today’s day and age, push notifications are very common, and getting rid of them is also a very easy task. To do so, simply, head over to your phone’s settings, look for the particular app’s settings, and turn off all notifications. But if there’s an essential app that you use, such as a banking app, or a food delivery app, what do you do? You cannot switch off their notifications because you don’t want to mute your banking app — who knows what notification they are sharing? And there lies the problem. These essential apps misuse their notification privilege to push out spam.
Like me, do you also feel these so-called essential apps, like Swiggy, Zepto, ICICI banking app, and Flipkart to name a few – should stop misusing their notification privileges? I have a simple question for readers — what’s your breaking point when you decide to get rid of an app or service’s push notification and why?
Now, don’t think of this piece as a “how to” guide on getting rid of spam notifications. Instead, consider this article as more of a rant from an average consumer’s perspective. A consumer, who, just like you, uses a smartphone, has installed many apps to get things done on a day-to-day basis and is also fed up with all the unwarranted push notifications. Of course, I can disable notifications for all those apps which are brilliant with their spam game, but disabling notifications isn’t exactly a solution.
Some of the essential apps that I love to use include Swiggy, Amazon, Book My Show, Nykaa, Netflix etc. Then, some apps are “pure essentials”. For me, these include Paytm, ICICI bank app, Jar and RBL bank app to name a few. These are the banking and payment apps, for which I need to have their notifications turned on at all times.
I can have the notifications disabled for something like the “Book My Show” app because all the app does is carry the movie tickets that I booked online, which I can always keep a check on by opening the app whenever required. This way, I don’t necessarily need that app’s notifications to spam me, so, I can simply turn off notifications for Book My Show. But can I turn off the notifications for the ICICI bank app? Absolutely not. Imagine you have turned off the notifications for your banking app and then there is an unauthorised transaction done on your account.
Off the topic, I would also like to briefly address another issue regarding apps that spam users with notifications in the form of targeted ads. Let me elaborate. Have you ever thought your phone is listening to you? For instance, say, you just had a word with your friend about a particular topic, and suddenly moments later, you start getting notifications regarding that very topic you were discussing with your friend. While writing this article, I simply had a call with a friend and, of all the things that we talked about, at one point, we were discussing how good Urban Company’s services are, and how reasonable their pricing is. Guess what? Literally, a few minutes later, a notification popped on my phone suggesting that Urban Company gives assured same-day servicing on water purifiers. Now, was the urban company app listening to me at the time through my phone’s microphone or is this just a mere coincidence? I, for sure, don’t think this is just any coincidence.
Of course, there’s no direct proof that your phone is listening to you. Even giant corporations like Google and Facebook have constantly denied prying on customers via the smartphone’s microphone. But as creepy as it sounds, I believe that apps are taking advantage of our privacy by listening to us, and hence the targeted ads.
This brings me back to our main topic, i.e. apps misusing their notification privileges.
In my case, I have already turned off notifications for a slew of apps I use, including my favourite ones mentioned above, like Book My Show, Nykaa, Netflix and many more. But still, many apps such as Zepto and Swiggy, which are food or grocery delivery apps, have their notifications turned on because that is how I get to know when my order is nearing. Another example is the Jar app, which I use for investment. With notifications for Jar turned on, I can always keep a tab on transactions inside the Jar app.
The problem, however, along with essential notifications, these apps also push out a lot of spam. There are tens of spam messages and notifications from these apps daily.
I call this a breach of trust and misuse of privileges. This is also disrespectful to users. I understand that “push notifications” are a part of the business model. Still, giant corporations also need to understand that if average consumers have put their trust in their product and are in a position where it is not possible for them to turn off notifications, then your brand also needs to maintain and keep their trust. They need to act responsibly and stop misusing your notification privileges. Hello Flipkart, Paytm, Jar, Book My Show, Swiggy, Zepto, Zomato, iMobile (ICICI Bank), Urban Company, Lazy Pay, KFC and more — I am talking about all of you.
