The Curious Case of Duplicate Icons on Andoid!

Did you reach here searching for a solution to the shocker as you were swiping through your applications list on your Android phone and seeing two icons for the same app? You are not the only one who suffered from the pain of seeing two icons of the same application in your app drawer. And I am sure you tried the next best step of trying to delete one application thinking that the application got installed twice and burned your hand by deleting the only copy of the application installed on your phone. Trust me, you are not the only one who face the curious case of duplicate icons in your Android App Drawer.

It happened to me too. I just bought a new Android Phone a few days ago. And the phenomenon of duplicate icons in the App drawer started happening two days after I bought the phone. I was about to curse my buyer instinct for my stupid decision of buying an Android phone from an Indian phone maker, discarding the international big boy brands. But then I decided to do some research.

You are right, this happens only on devices that run the latest Jelly Bean version on Android. This seems to be a bug on Android that duplicate the icon of applications. This usually happens on Android Phones that run the stock version of Jelly Bean, without the device maker's highly customized user interface. Now, what do you do when you see two icons of the same application in your app drawer?

There is only one solution to this problem of duplicate icons on Android. Reboot! Reboot!! Reboot!!! Yes, just switch off your phone, keep it switched off for a minute or two and then reboot the phone. Sometimes, you will notice the same issue after you reboot! That is why I said 'reboot' three times! 

That missed call you just got might be scam!

Looks like scammers are increasingly moving away from the traditional ways of trying to squeeze some monies out of your pocket. They know that you have grown smart enough to recognize pishing and to avoid the Nigirian Bang Employee who got a truckload of cash stacked away in some distant place just for you.

We are living in the smartphone era. The smartness of the smartphones you own is the sweet spot for the new generation scammers. They try and exploit that these days to their best. I am sure you have noticed the automatic download of some funny application happening on your phone just as you visited one of those websites. Now, it seems that even if your phone is not so smart, scammers have found a way to exploit you. Some of them now resort to, you are reading it right, 'missed call' scam.

I just got a missed call the other day from a strange number. Smart as I am, (:P) I did not do anything about the number till I did a little bit of research online. The results were shocking. It seems that these numbers are configured to give you a missed call. And if you call back, they will charge you for the call.

I got the call from this number!

The scammer sets up a computer to call thousands of numbers. They know that for every 999 people who will never call back, there is someone who will. And once you call, you will get charged for every second you spend on the call.

Following are some of the things you need to do to make sure that you do not fall into this trap and lose money:

1. If the call is from a number you do not know, even if you are waiting for a call from let us say that agency you gave an interview for a job the other day, do not call back!
2. Google the number to make sure that it is not from a computer and is from a legitimate mobile/landline phone. There are also chances that you will find the number listed as a scam number.
3. Check your phone bill for call like this. File a complaint with your carrier in case you find you inadvertently made such a call. They will reverse the charge.