If You Use an Android, Watch Out for This Misleading Message
You're not alone if you've gotten a confusing alert on your phone.
There's no denying that Apple has quite the pull on the tech world, but as it turns out, most people are actually using an Android. There are more than 2.5 billion Android users throughout 190 different countries, making it the most popular operating system (OS) in the world, according to Business of Apps. With that in mind, when an issue occurs with an Android device, it's something that affects a staggering number of people. Now, experts are alerting Android users to a confusing new message that could be misleading them. Read on to find out what you should be on the lookout for.
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Android users often face unexpected problems.
Despite establishing itself as the most popular OS in the world, Android doesn't always provided the smoothest service. According to Global App testing, 77 percent of customers who have tested apps for both Android and Apple's iOS received more bugs with Android. As a result, Android apps are reportedly 24.7 percent buggier than their iOS counterparts.
In fact, Google just released an Android 13 software update for Pixel users on Aug. 15—and through this update, the developer had to fix over 100 bugs. "After installing Android 13 on your compatible Pixel, you might have noticed that your phone performs better. That is because Google exterminated 151 bugs with the update it pushed out," Phone Arena reported.
Meanwhile, the newest issue Android users are reporting is more confusing than anything else.
Users are now bringing attention to an unusual message.
If you've noticed a new and confusing message on one of your Android apps recently, you're not alone. Over the past few days, many Android users have taken to social media to ask about an unusual FedEx alert. "The FedEx app is showing 'Cash on Delivery Due' for my Pixel 6 from the Google Store," one person wrote Aug. 19 on Twitter. "Um.. I paid for it in full [with] my credit card. So what the heck?!?"
Several others have sounded the alarm on this "Cash on Delivery" message in a Reddit thread posted in the FedEx community. "I was never told to pay cash on delivery. I'm so confused," the user who started the thread wrote. Another Reddit user commented, "On the Android app I'm seeing the same thing on all outgoing and incoming packages. There's definitely nothing due on any of them."
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FedEx allows some shippers to request payment at the time of delivery.
Cash on delivery, otherwise known as collect-on-delivery (COD), is a shipping payment method where customers are required to pay for their package at the time of delivery, according to Versapay. FedEx's official Service Guide indicates that it offers COD service on certain packages within the U.S. and from the U.S. to Canada, allowing delivery drivers to collect payment from recipients when delivering a package on behalf of the shipper.
"Use the COD service option to designate the amount of money that the FedEx courier collects from the recipient upon shipment delivery," the shipping company explains in its service options. "FedEx tries to contact your recipient before delivery to ensure that payment is ready."
But tech experts say the FedEx message is likely a bug.
Tech expert Andrew Romero at 9to5Google reported on Aug. 19 that he and his colleague Ben Schoon had both noticed a similar message above tracking pages in their FedEx Android apps, despite their incoming packages being "paid for in full already." According to 9to5Google, this COD alert usually means that you have to give your FedEx driver money at the time of delivery because you may owe taxes on an international delivery or the package was not paid for in full.
But because many Android users have recently reported getting this message on packages that have been paid for already and don't have any fees attached, there is an "extremely good chance" the alert is showing up for some users because of a bug, Romero wrote. "Don't worry, you probably don't owe the delivery driver anything, though the FedEx app on Android might have you thinking otherwise," he added, noting that while you could actually owe money at the time of delivery, "more than likely, this is simply a bug in the app that FedEx is aware of."
