Unwanted notifications are a daily annoyance for most smartphone owners, but Samsung Galaxy owners are receiving something a little more cryptic in their notification shades. A number of people are complaining about a mysterious notification from Samsung’s Find My Mobile app, which began being pushed out yesterday, February 19. The notification, which we received on a Galaxy S8 and on a Galaxy Fold, simply reads “1”, with another “1” below it.
The Samsung Find My Mobile app is primarily used to find lost or stolen phones, and it’s unlikely most people will interact with it until they absolutely need to know about it — which is probably why the notification has caused such a stir. Social media and community forums are alight with people worrying about it, with a thread on Samsung’s Community forums having reached 34 pages at the time of writing. Most people are simply freaked out by the mysterious “1”, which certainly reminds us of the beginning of a thriller novel. When tapped, the message disappears and doesn’t open an app, which only adds to peoples’ unease.
The message has been sent to a wide range of Samsung smartphones, with everything from the Galaxy S8 to the brand-new Galaxy Z Flip confirmed as having received the message. However, it’s unlikely to be anything sinister. A Samsung Care Ambassador on the U.S. Samsung Community forums wasn’t able to confirm the message’s purpose for certain but has stated they expect it is just a test to make sure services are still working as expected.
“From what I can tell, this is some test on Samsung’s end to assure services are working”, said the post. “U [sic] expect Samsung will make an official statement explaining but I want to mention it now to hopefully put some of you at ease.”
We have reached out to Samsung for confirmation of this and will update when we hear back, but this is likely the answer: It’s a service message that was accidentally pushed to Galaxy smartphones, instead of running in background services. So put away the Dan Brown conspiracy theories for now — unless we receive a “2” that is. That’s the point where we start checking the Find My Mobile app for bodies.
Meta wants to make its AI feel like a cute tiny friend through a newly launched pet journal app called Waddle World. Think of it as Tamagotchi, but the pixelated pet can actually chat with you and doodle little illustrations based on what you tell it about your day. Right now, this free app is available on iOS and Android only in the Philippines, with access limited to adults.
Waddle World is a pet that wants to know about your day
What if checking your drinking water for dangerous chemicals were as simple as plugging a tiny gadget into your smartphone? Researchers in Japan have developed a compact sensor that could make that possible, potentially bringing sophisticated water contamination testing out of expensive laboratories and into people's hands.
Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have created a portable device capable of detecting extremely low concentrations of PFAS, commonly known as "forever chemicals." The findings were published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, which demonstrate how an inexpensive sensor and a smartphone could make identifying potentially harmful chemicals in water a lot easier.
ShiftCam is adding to its range of iPhone filmmaking accessories with ProRig+, a revised version of its modular camera rig that has dedicated controls for focus, zoom, shutter, and shooting modes. The new system launches on Kickstarter with the ProControl remote, giving mobile creators a higher level of hands-on control without having to constantly tap their iPhone’s screen.
The announcement comes soon after ShiftCam introduced the original ProRig, developed with feedback from Apple. The original model is expected to ship in the coming weeks, while ProRig+ will be a more advanced remote and will be delivered to backers in February 2027. The Kickstarter campaign has also been honored with the platform’s “Projects We Love” designation.