Is Spy Equipment Really Included in Samsung Smartphone Batteries?

According to U.S. news organizations on June 29 (local time), a rumor that “spy equipment” capable of eavesdropping on a user's calls and recording pictures is built into the battery of Samsung phones is spreading in the U.S. 

A video circulating on Facebook and YouTube that was posted at the beginning of the last week of June shows that after tearing off a sticker that wraps around the battery of the Galaxy S4, the man in the video points to a small coil inside, saying, “This is the spy equipment.”

He remarked, “Samsung can record pictures on your smartphone and overhear your calls through the coil shaped like this antenna,” adding, “So, you'd better tear off the sticker that wraps the battery first and use the phone.”

In fact, this video attracted 12 million views on Facebook only four days after it was initially posted, and around 300,000 people reportedly shared the video.

However, local media outlets pointed out that this conspiratorial video originated from a misunderstanding about the Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna, a communication technology that makes it possible to transmit different kinds of wireless data to a distance of 10 cm.

“This is a device that makes it possible to exchange pictures or MP3 files between mobile devices very fast, using an original technology that could be widely used in the next-generation ubiquitous environment,” reported the KTLA, a CW-affiliated television station located in Los Angeles, California. It went on to say, “Those who have NFC-enabled Android phones can make mobile payments, verify your identity, make a reservation for a movie or a performance, and exchange business cards,” adding, “This video is simply groundless and only misleads people.”