Ads are a pretty common way for companies to make money online, especially when providing a free service. However we reckon that there’s a time and a place to put ads, and putting ads inside of a smartphone’s keyboard definitely does not seem like the best idea. Unfortunately this is something that some HTC users are discovering.
According to reports on Reddit, it seems that some HTC users who are using the default HTC “TouchPal” keyboard on their HTC phones are reporting that ads have begun popping up on the keyboard itself, as you can see in the screenshot to the right. Given that our smartphone screens are pretty limited, having an ad take up additional space means that whatever you’re viewing just got more constrained.
It seems that this is affecting users who are using the basic version of TouchPal, and that in order to get rid of the ads, users will have to purchase the premium version. An easy fix would be to replace the keyboard with another keyboard like SwiftKey or Gboard, for example, but for those who are unaware of these options or unfamiliar with the process, it does seem a tad unfair.
We’re not sure if HTC will be removing ads as a result of this backlash, so for now users will have to either live with it or find an alternative app.
Update, HTC has contacted Ubergizmo with the following statement: “Due to an error, some HTC customers have reported seeing ads on their phone’s keyboard. This is absolutely not the experience we intended, and we’re working to immediately fix the error and remove the ads as quickly as possible.”