Money lending app ‘Fineasy’ halts services after backlash
Users told how to close the app, which is now being updated to a version that allows permanent removal from smartphones
The money-lending application Fineasy has halted all of its services from January 13 due to a “business adjustment”, the company said in a statement issued on Monday.
Users can close the app by pressing on the app icon, selecting “app information”, then selecting “close application”, the statement said.
Fineasy promised that it would update the application to a version that can be removed from users’ devices as soon as possible.
The move comes after consumers complained that the irremovable app was installed on their phones without their knowledge, and can send notifications and have access to users’ personal information such as their contacts.
The Thailand Consumers Council claimed that users could not prevent access to personal information effectively due to the embedded application, adding that installing software without users’ permission is a violation of consumer rights.
Chinese smartphone manufacturers OPPO and RealMe on Sunday admitted to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) that the loan application was pre-installed on their devices without approval from the Bank of Thailand (BOT).
The companies apologised to affected users and promised that future phone models will not include such apps.
In a follow-up statement on Tuesday, OPPO and RealMe said that no 3rd party loan applications, including Fineasy, will be pre-installed on the companies’ new devices from January 14.
For existing users, on January 16 their devices will receive an OTA (over-the-air) update for the system, which will remove the Fineasy app permanently, the companies said.
Meanwhile, Ascend Money Ltd, the operator of TrueMoney e-payment service, on Monday issued a statement that it has no policy or cooperation with any mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install TrueMoney application on new devices.
The statement was in response to claims by some users that TrueMoney, like Fineasy, was pre-installed with the phones they just bought.
The company added that users who wish to use the TrueMoney application must manually download and install the app from Apple Store (for iOS devices) or Play Store (for Android devices), as well as provide their consent during the registration process.
