I kept seeing these ads that allow me to assign fun and retro gifs to my contacts. This app is called Flash App. I saw the ads pop up while using another app, and I had already seen the ad several times before I decided to try it. It looked kind of fun and I really didn't see the harm in giving it a try... I was wrong.

What happened?

The app itself was already a disappointment; there wasn't a lot of variety to choose from and the imagery didn't come with any matching sounds. Worse yet, the app came with an unexpected surprise. When I restarted my phone, I was asked if I wanted to use the "Flash App" version or the Android version of the phone's home screen management.

It turns out that if you read the fine print, it does mention this change in the home screen management

As mentioned on their website, these changes include:

Unread message: get the number of unread messages

Screen manager: quickly align icons

Smart folder: apps with similar functions will be arranged in the same folder

Desktop setting: adjust the icon style and font style

Menu: quick access to the common features

Scam!

This app does not disclose the changes that it makes to your phone. To be honest, I loved the changes at first... I would have been okay with it if it wasn't for the ads. Since the app made so many dramatic changes, these ads would be appear when I first opened my phone.

Spyware?

Beware this app! While I can't prove it, there are reviews and comments that I found all over the internet claiming that this app has spyware.

How to remove the app?

I'm sorry to say this, but you may have to factory reset. However, there are a couple of things to try first. My amazing boyfriend was able to remove it easily for me. For me, the app showed up on my list of apps (However, apparently not everyone who find themselves downloading this evil app can easily find the app.). All he had to do was find the app and click "force stop." A little message popped up warning that forcing the app to stop could cause damages. We ignored it and clicked forced stop anyway and then my phone went back to normal. Everything is fine and fixed!

Here is some advice from Lloyd Padilla, who went through the same thing and was able to successfully remove the app.

Go to Settings and look for App Inside App search for that Apps "Color Flash Launcher" So you can see the Uninstall button is disabled right? Then look for the set as default. Click on that and click not the default launcher. Then click back and now you can see the uninstall button is enabled. Now Perform the Uninstall until gone! Then, after, there will be a pop-up to choose what default you wanted to use for your mobile launcher. That's it! I hope this will help people who had been victims like me.

'Color Phone Flash - Call Screen Theme, Call Flash' by Finger Studios

Call Flash by Finger Studios actually has a much longer name, as shown above. This is because the same app actually gets re-published with a slight name change and other various slight differences. I guess you have to keep making new apps if you want to keep tricking people.

Similar Apps - Don't Trust Them!

Color Call Flash - Call Screen, Color Phone Flash by Tool Slab

Color Flash Launcher- Call Screen, Themes by Finger Studios

Call Flash - Color Phone Caller Screen, LED Flash by ZongWin

Color Call Flash- Call Screen Call Phone LED Flash by ColorCallStudio

Beware - Flash App has been accused of the same thing!

This app is for a flashlight, but it does the same thing as the other apps that are mentioned in this article. In other words, don't trust this app, it is a scam and possibly has spyware.

Hello. Nice to meet you! How are you? Hmm... this feels like a really one-sided conversation... why don't you follow me on social media so I can get to know you too!

About the Author

I started blogging about two years ago and my collection of blogs and articles is getting pretty impressive. I’ve taken online classes for writing and even some classes about the art of blogging itself. It would be really awesome if you join the adventure and maybe even help me think of what to write about next. If you would like to submit some feedback or ideas, you can always tweet me on Twitter.

Like the story? Share it on social media!

Thank you for reading my article. Would it be okay if I ask another favour though? Would it be okay if you share this on your Facebook page or Twitter? If you can't share, there is a tiny little donate box at the bottom too. No pressure though, just thought I would mention.

Work Cited

“Color Phone Flash - Call Screen Theme, Call Flash - Apps on Google Play.” Google, Google, play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colorphone.smooth.dialer&hl=en.

Diddy, B., et al. “I Want to Uninstall an App That Is Call Flash.” Android Forums at AndroidCentralcom RSS, forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/902756-i-want-uninstall-app-call-flash.html.