ByteDance AI smartphone restricted by major Chinese apps over control concerns
ByteDance's Nubia M153 AI smartphone, powered by the Doubao agent, was restricted by major Chinese apps within a week of launch due to account suspensions and security concerns. The apps blocked Doubao's automated operations, and ByteDance responded by scaling back the AI's permissions, while users reported frozen accounts and privacy worries about the system's activity tracking.
What happened
ByteDance launched the Nubia M153, an AI smartphone powered by its Doubao agent, in early December 2025. The device sold out on launch day at 3,499 yuan ($494), marketed as a 'technology preview' version.
Within a week, major Chinese apps including WeChat, Alipay, Taobao, and Pinduoduo restricted or disabled Doubao's automated operations. Users reported frozen accounts after attempting to use Doubao's voice features, and WeChat disabled Doubao's ability to control the platform after login crashes and account suspensions were reported.
ByteDance responded by scaling back permissions: preventing the phone from claiming incentives meant for human users, disabling Doubao's interaction with financial apps like Alipay, and suspending AI features in competitive games. The company stated that Doubao does not store screen content or operational data on its servers.
Reported impact
Users reported frozen or suspended accounts after attempting to use Doubao's automated features on restricted platforms, creating account security concerns.
Users expressed privacy worries about Doubao's 'global memory,' which tracks activity across the device, though ByteDance stated no screen content or operational data is stored for model training.
Index analysis
The core conflict arises from differing standards on operation authorization: apps use behavioral detection to flag non-human operations as potential security threats, while ByteDance characterized the AI operations as authorized device owner actions. Doubao uses the INJECT_EVENTS permission to simulate user input, which app risk systems interpret as anomalous.
Doubao's architecture grants it system-level permissions to recognize and operate phone interfaces like a human user, enabling cross-app automated tasks that bypass normal API constraints. This capability, while powerful for task completion, conflicted with platform risk controls designed to prevent unauthorized account access.
Governance controls
ByteDance and app developers lack agreed standards for AI agent authorization and account security boundaries. The company stated it is working with developers to establish clearer rules.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.