Trump is reluctant to hand over his Android device (Getty)
President-elect Donald Trump’s days of Twitter rants may be numbered, at least those coming from his Android device.
Because of the known security vulnerabilities in the Google-made software for smartphones, Trump may have to give up his Samsung Galaxy for a government-sanctioned one. As Trump gears up to assume the position of Commander in Chief, he would also inherit President Barack Obama’s Twitter handle, @POTUS, but whether he uses it exclusively remains to be seen.
Trump is reluctant to hand over his Android phone and is worried that doing so would cut him off from his social circles, aides told the New York Times. While President Obama was allowed to keep his Blackberry, it was modified so he could only contact his closest advisors, according to CNN.
Stripping a smartphone’s abilities to its essential functions limits cybersecurity threats. For example, hackers could breach Trump’s smartphone if he were to click on a link inside a Tweet or message, security experts told the Telegraph.
To prevent these cybersecurity threats, security experts have recommended dumbing down smartphones. President Obama used an aide’s iPhone to post his first Tweet, although he has since upgraded his smartphone as some of his staff switched to iPhones.
President Obama has griped about having to use a functionless smartphone, which he compared to a play phone for toddlers on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. Trump, however, has said he will continue tweeting from the White House on 60 Minutes. His attachment to Twitter may cause headaches for the National Security Agency, which repurposed Obama’s Blackberry to have barebones functionality. The president-elect may settle on splitting his time between his personal account and the POTUS account, reports the LA Times.
During the presidential campaign, tweets from Donald Trump were identified by the type of device used, metadata which used to be publicly displayed in each individual Tweet. Tweets thought to have come from Trump were written on an Android, while those from his “handler” originated from an iPhone. Here’s a look at how Trump’s Twitter persona may change when he takes office.
Sent from an Android
Android-sent Tweets are generally more hyperbolic relying heavily on negative words like “badly”, “crazy” and “weak” to describe his adversaries, according to a study from data scientist David Robinson.
Crooked Hillary has ZERO leadership ability. As Bernie Sanders says, she has bad judgement. Constantly playing the women’s card – it is sad!
It is impossible for the FBI not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton. What she did was wrong! What Bill did was stupid!
I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M.
Mitt Romney had his chance to beat a failed president but he choked like a dog. Now he calls me racist-but I am least racist person there is
Sent from an iPhone
Trump’s iPhone messages, on the other hand, strike a more positive tone. Unlike the Android tweets, they frequently include hashtags like “MakeAmericaGreatAgain” as well as embedded photographs. Sometimes, however, the language used in Android and iPhone Tweets is hard to distinguish. Robinson speculates that Trump may have a ghostwriter who’s polished his ability to mimic Trump’s voice.
Thank you Abingdon, Virginia!
#MakeAmericaGreatAgain
t.co/g7ivluiyF2
New GOP platform now includes language that supports the border wall. We will build the wall and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!
Same failing @nytimes “reporter” who wrote discredited women’s story last week wrote another terrible story on me today- will never learn!
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Will Trump Tweet From an Android as President?