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Peel Technologies

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Peel
IndustrySoftware
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]

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

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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

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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 is pre-installed on Samsung and HTC devices that have an infrared blaster,[3] including Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9,[12] and it could not be uninstalled from some devices.[13][14][15] 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

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Since 2017, the Android application has received criticism for displaying advertisements on the lock screen,[16] 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.[17][18]

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.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Del Rey, Jason (October 9, 2014). "Alibaba Invests $50 Million in TV Remote App Peel". re/code. Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  2. ^ Singh, Charanjeet (2018-08-01). "Peel Remote: Everything About The Notorious Smart Remote App". Fossbytes. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  3. ^ a b Truong, Alice. "Peel the app that turns your devices into remote controls hits 50 million activations". Fast Company. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Robinson, James (March 13, 2014). "50 million users strong, Peel's smart remote looks to stay ahead of the TV game". PandoDaily. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Peel Tops 100 Billion Remote Commands". Peel.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Alibaba Invests $50 Million in TV-Remote App Startup Peel". MONEYNEWS.COM. October 9, 2014. Archived from the original on October 19, 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. Archived from the original on June 24, 2014. 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. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. 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. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  12. ^ Sutrich, Nick (2015-03-02). "Peel Smart Remote Preloaded on HTC One M9, Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge". Android Headlines. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
  13. ^ "How to Uninstall or Disable Peel Remote App from Samsung Phones". 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  14. ^ "Peel TV Remote app that is pre-installed behaves like adware | Blog". www.jamf.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  15. ^ "What is the Peel Smart Remote application?". Samsung. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "Google Play app Peel Smart Remote leaks users' pictures". blog.pradeo.com. Pradeo. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
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