Motorola injects affiliate codes into Amazon app on its phones

Motorola is modifying the Amazon app on its phones to inject affiliate tracking codes, according to 9to5google [9to5google]. The change is not part of Amazon’s official app and is applied only on Motorola devices, meaning purchases made through the app could generate referral revenue for Motorola instead of Amazon’s intended partners.

The modification happens at the system level, where Motorola intercepts Amazon app traffic and inserts its own affiliate tags. Users are not notified or asked for permission. The behavior was first spotted on Moto G and Edge devices running Android 14, though it may extend to others [9to5google].

Amazon does not authorize affiliate code injection by third parties, and the practice could violate its API terms. While affiliate revenue is common in retail, doing so without disclosure or consent crosses into deceptive territory. Other OEMs have pushed bloatware, but altering third-party app behavior to redirect revenue is a sharper break from user expectations.

This isn’t the first time Motorola has tweaked apps post-install. Past devices included preloaded shortcuts and promotional overlays, but actively rewriting app logic to capture affiliate income sets a new precedent. Google’s Play Store policies prohibit unauthorized app modifications, though enforcement on system-level OEM changes remains inconsistent.

If users want to avoid Motorola’s affiliate tag, they must use Amazon through a browser or sideload an unmodified APK—workarounds most won’t attempt. That leaves the default experience on Motorola devices financially self-serving in a way that’s invisible to the average user.