In trying to earn some extra money on the side, I have tried many different programs and apps, many of which promise a monthly payment if you jump through their hoops. Now, some of these have lived up to their word and paid consistently for months or years. Others have done okay for a time, then disappeared. But one of the worst experiences I have ever had was with an app called, ironically, Smart App.
Smart App, by a company called Verto Analytics (I had never heard of it before downloading their product), comes with a page which makes such grand statements as “influence the next generation of your favorite websites, apps and technology”. The level of pretension in that statement alone probably should have made me drop my phone and run.* Unfortunately, that did not happen, and I downloaded the app.
And not only did I download the app onto my phone, I also downloaded it onto my computer. See, Verto wants you to install the app on everything you have, so that they can evaluate all your web traffic.
Or perhaps they just want to creep on you.
Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction to this app.
Seriously, I have no idea why you need to install the app on every computer, tablet, and phone you own, but Verto insists on it. So be it.
Does Smart App pay? Well, I was credited $25 after having it installed for three months, but getting paid was more difficult. For them to pay you, you have to verify your mobile number by means of Verto sending you a text.
No problem, right? Wrong.
I clicked the button to verify my mobile number, and a popup appeared stating that the code would be good for 15 minutes and giving me a place to enter said code. Well, 15 minutes later, I had no text from anyone. The popup window disappeared, and so I had no way to verify my number and get paid. I requested another verification code and heard nothing for the rest of the day.
The next day, I tried to verify my number again, and this time I got texted within a few minutes, and to Verto’s credit, I was not paid my $25 within 1-3 business days, as the website promised, but within 1-3 minutes.
With that said, the worst thing about Smart App is yet to come.
Smart App did awful things to my connection on both my computer and my phone.
Your interests matter. Your badly performing device? Not so much.
My phone, by the way, is not a fossil. It’s not brand new, by any means, but it’s sufficiently advanced that I expect things to happen instantly with every click. This app made that impossible far too often. Starting the day I installed the app, I saw “LTE” disappear occasionally, taking my data connection with it. It’s rather annoying to click a link only to have a window appear saying “you are offline” instead of the page I wanted.
As for my computer…well, it may be a fossil. I got it as a refurbished model several years ago and discovered two years ago that it cannot handle Windows 10, so it’s running Windows 7. And through Windows 7’s Task Manager, I watched as Smart App’s CPU usage occasionally shot up to 45-55% (and causing my browser to stop responding until Smart App calmed down). There were some sites which, for whatever reason, had way more connection problems than others. One site never connected properly for me after I installed it.
It should be noted that I did contact Verto’s customer support over this. Their advice? Uninstall and reinstall it. I did so. Didn’t work.
Most months (except for those months in which a loyalty bonus is given), users get $5 for their troubles. Is it worth it? As my answer, let me just point out that within five minutes of my receiving the confirmation from Paypal that I had gotten my $25, I had the app uninstalled from every device I own.
Smart App? Not such a smart choice. 
Still interested? Hey, different strokes for different folks. As a courtesy, click here to access their website. I don’t believe they have a referral program, but even if they did, I don’t know that I’d place my referral code in that link. I really did not like that app.
Of course, not all apps are this awful. Some work just fine, without slowing your phone’s speed down to nothing. Here are a few apps that I have installed on my phone right now:
- Adme: A lockscreen rewards app. If you’re okay swiping past one or two advertising screens when you unlock your phone, you can make easy money.
Bonus: Earn $0.30 instantly by clicking here to register! - Panel App: Yes, it tracks where you are going. Let’s be frank, though: Google and Apple do that already, and they don’t pay you anything, and, actually, they make money from using your whereabouts to sell advertising. So if you’re already getting tracked with your smartphone, you may as well get something for it, right? Offers prizes (including PayPal) for collecting enough points, or, if you’re in a bit more of a hurry, sweepstakes as well. Sign up by clicking here!
- SurveyCow: A lockscreen app that asks one survey question when you unlock your phone. Simple and unobtrusive.
Bonus: Earn $0.25 instantly by clicking here to register and entering 2153794806 as your referral after you do!
There are some apps that will definitely pay you without causing a hassle, and that are worth having on your phone. It’s sad to say, but for me, Smart App isn’t one of them.
* I do not recommend dropping your phone. It doesn’t really help with naughty apps.
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