Realme Faces Probe Into Claims of Data Collection for 'Enhanced Intelligent Services' Feature on Smartphones

Realme on Monday stated that all data processed for the Enhanced Intelligent Services feature is encrypted and stored on a user's device.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 19 June 2023 14:52 IST

Realme Faces Probe Into Claims of Data Collection for 'Enhanced Intelligent Services' Feature on Smartphones

Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Trakin Tech

The setting on Realme's smartphones was highlighted by Trakin Tech, a YouTube channel

Highlights

Realme phones have an 'Enhanced Intelligent Services' feature
This feature requires the collection of a lot of personal data
MeitY will now probe Realme's collection of data, the MoS IT said

Realme is facing a probe into its data collection practices, after a setting on the company's smartphones was recently highlighted during a product review. The description of the feature on the handset states that it will collect device and usage statistics, along with personal information such as calendar events, SMS and call logs, and the smartphone's location. After a screenshot of the feature was shared on Twitter, the Centre announced that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will test and check the claims made by the user.

A settings option call Enhanced Intelligent Services was spotted by YouTube channel Trakin Tech during a video review of the recently launched Realme 11 Pro+ 5G smartphone. Twitter user Rishi Bagree shared a screenshot of the video on Twitter on Friday, reiterating the claims made in the video that the feature collected call logs, SMS, and location details.

Will hv this tested and checked @rishibagree

copy: @GoI_MeitY https://t.co/4hkA5YWsIg
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) June 16, 2023

Shortly after the Enhanced Intelligent Services feature on Realme smartphones was highlighted on Twitter, Minister of State for Information Technology and Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar quote tweeted the user's post and stated that MeitY would have it tested and checked.

Realme, like other smartphone manufacturers, collects data from its users to provide various services and features. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer's description of the feature in the Settings app says that the feature optimises device functions based on how the device is used.

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This feature is enabled by default, which means that in order for users to discover the setting, they will need to navigate to Settings > Additional Settings > System Services > Enhanced Intelligent Services. Gadgets 360 was able to confirm that the Enhanced Intelligent Services was enabled by default on Realme smartphones running on Realme UI 4.0.

Realme responds

The smartphone maker stated on Monday that the Enhanced Intelligent Services feature does not collect data on SMS, phone calls, and calendar data. The company also said that the data is encrypted and processed on the user's device. Realme also said that the firm complies with local laws and regulations.

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“Specific to the issue raised, we would like to clarify that the enhanced intelligent services feature is linked to optimising device usage to ensure that consumers get better battery life and temperature performance. However, contrary to the current description, we do not collect any data on SMS, phone calls, schedules, etc.

All data processed in this service is encrypted and stored in encrypted hardware within user's device strictly in compliance with Android security mechanisms. This data is completely stored within the device and is not shared anywhere else or uploaded on the cloud. We place great emphasis on user privacy protection, the enhanced intelligent services feature can be manually turned on or off basis the needs of the consumers."

Realme might not want the Mini Capsule to be the defining feature of the Realme C55, but will it end up being one of the phone's most talked-about hardware specifications? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Realme 11 Pro+

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Excellent in-hand feel
Brilliant display
Good performance
Long battery life, fast charging
Good front camera

Bad
Bloated software with ads
Rear cameras need better optimisation

Read detailed Realme 11 Pro+ review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor MediaTek Dimensity 7050

Front Camera 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 200-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 2400x1080 pixels

More Realme mobiles Realme mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Realme, Privacy, Data Privacy, Realme India

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More