Peel Technologies

Last updated
Peel
Industry Software
Founded2009;16 years ago (2009)
FoundersBala Krishnan
Thiru Arunachalam
Headquarters
Mountain View, California
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Thiru Arunachalam (CEO)
Bala Krishnan (CPO)

Peel is a company based in Mountain View, California, USA that sells a mobile application which provides universal remote functionality. [1] [2]

Contents

The application came pre-installed on some Samsung and HTC devices. In 2015, Peel claimed that it had over 120 million registered users. Since 2017, the application has been criticized for adware-like behavior.

History

Peel Smart Remote was launched in 2009 by current CEO Thiru Arunachalam [3] and co-founder and chief product officer Bala Krishnan. [4] Peel built an initial user base from agreements with major device manufacturers Samsung [5] and HTC to include Peel as a pre-installed application on smartphones sold in India. In 2015, Peel claimed that it generated over 100 billion remote commands with over 120 million registered users. [5]

Peel has raised more than 90 million dollars from investors. [6]

Peel Smart Remote

Peel Smart Remote is a universal remote control application. Users can also use it to interact with friends and other TV viewers, [7] tune into shows, record programming, or get viewing reminders. Users can also share content with their contacts. [8] [9] It can use both built-in IR hardware and WiFi to discover and control devices. [10] [11]

The application is available for iOS and Android devices. It comes pre-installed on Samsung and HTC devices that have an infrared blaster, [3] and it could not be uninstalled from some devices. [12] [13] In 2014, the application completed an average of 30 billion remote control actions per month, [6] worked in over 200 countries and delivered program guides in 110 countries. [4]

Controversy

Since 2017, the Android application has received criticism for displaying advertisements on the lock screen, [14] as well as for showing full-screen advertisements upon unlocking the device and continuously running in the background, which is what allows it to display those advertisements. [15] [16]

In 2019, it was reported that the application sent users' pictures and other personal information to a server that was not owned by Peel. This behavior was then removed, without comments by the publisher. The application was subsequently removed from Google Play. [17]

References

  1. ↑ Del Rey, Jason (October 9, 2014). "Alibaba Invests $50 Million in TV Remote App Peel". re/code. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ Singh, Charanjeet (2018-08-01). "Peel Remote: Everything About The Notorious Smart Remote App". Fossbytes. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  3. 1 2 Truong, Alice. "Peel the app that turns your devices into remote controls hits 50 million activations". Fast Company. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Robinson, James (March 13, 2014). "50 million users strong, Peel's smart remote looks to stay ahead of the TV game". PandoDaily. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Peel Tops 100 Billion Remote Commands". Peel.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Alibaba Invests $50 Million in TV-Remote App Startup Peel". MONEYNEWS.COM. October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ Ha, Anthony (March 12, 2012). "Social TV App Peel Adds Real-Time Cheering To American Idol". TechCrunch . Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (May 22, 2014). "Peel's new ads let you change the channel on your TV". GigaOm. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  9. ↑ Flomenbaum, Adam (June 17, 2014). "With its Expansion into China, Peel's 300 Million Device Goal is in Reach". Lost Remote. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ "A quick look at the Peel Smart Remote for Android". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  11. ↑ "How to Use the Peel Smart Remote App to Control Your Entertainment Equipment". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  12. ↑ "How to Uninstall or Disable Peel Remote App from Samsung Phones". 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  13. ↑ "Peel TV Remote app that is pre-installed behaves like adware | Blog". www.jamf.com. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  14. ↑ Whitwam, Ryan (March 29, 2017). "Peel remote app upsets users with a ton of ads and lock screen overlays". Android Police. Retrieved Oct 30, 2019.
  15. ↑ Gray, Robin (28 January 2019). "Previously preinstalled Peel TV Remote app is behaving like adware". Jamf Blog. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  16. ↑ Singh, Charanjeet (3 January 2019). "Peel Remote: Everything About The Notorious Smart Remote App". FossBytes. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "Google Play app Peel Smart Remote leaks users' pictures". blog.pradeo.com. Pradeo. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
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