T-Mobile Says It's Not Spying on You. What the New Screen Recording Tool Actually Does

CNET

5 days ago

Some T-Mobile customers during the past week have been surprised to discover a new -- and enabled by default -- feature in the T-Life app called "Screen recording tool." In light of recent iffy recording tools such as Microsoft's Recall AI feature in Windows, seeing a feature that records the contents of your screen is bound to raise privacy concerns.
How to disable Screen recording tool if you see it
If you're a T-Mobile subscriber, you can check if this new option has been turned on by opening the T-Life app, tapping Manage and then tapping Settings (the gear icon). The Screen recording tool option shows up under the Preferences heading.
If the option is there, tap it to reveal a description and a toggle switch. The description reads: "We use a tool to record how customers use the app to analyze and improve your experience. Only T-Mobile will review and analyze your info. If you turn this toggle on or magenta, we will record your screen while you use the app. If you turn this toggle off or gray, we will not record your screen."
To disable the feature, tap the switch so it becomes gray. (The "magenta" and "gray" in the text refer to the color of the toggle switch to indicate whether it's active or not, respectively.)
Why T-Mobile stands behind the new feature
When I reached out to the company for more information, a T-Mobile spokesperson defended the feature as designed to improve the user experience.
"To help us give customers who use T-Life a smoother experience, we are rolling out a new tool in the app that will help us quickly troubleshoot reported or detected issues," the spokesperson said. "This tool records activities within the app only and does not see or access any personal information. If a customer's T-Life app currently supports the new functionality, it can be turned off in the settings under preferences."
According to a post on droidlife, which earlier referenced the issue, the new option shows up on both iPhone and Android phones.
Why opt-in is so important
On the face of it, the Screen recording tool appears to do what it says, and the fact that it's limited to just the T-Life app is a reasonable, and expected, limitation.
But as with all potential privacy issues, the fact that T-Mobile is enabling the feature by default has rightly made customers suspicious. It should be off initially, and if an issue arises that would require screen recording, then get permission from the phone owner to turn it on.
T-Mobile in fact has a similar example within the T-Life app. There's another screen recording feature that is completely separate from this new Screen recording tool. In the app's settings, under Help & support, is Screen Share, which can be used during a support call. It allows a T-Mobile expert to view your phone's screen while troubleshooting an issue. It requires several steps and requires you to consent to having your screen recorded before allowing a support expert to connect to the app.
If you've ever tried to help a friend or family member over the phone and asked them to describe what's on the screen, you'll appreciate how helpful it can be to view what they're seeing directly.