US President Donald Trump has apparently traded in his Android phone for a secure, encrypted device approved by the Secret Service with a new number that few people possess.
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Trump has been well-known for using Android phones; plenty of his tweets have suggested he prefers the platform when posting messages on-the-go.
The change is akin to when former President Barack Obama had to give up his personal BlackBerry before entering the White House, though he has been known to continue carrying the device throughout his presidency.
The switch from Android to a secure smartphone also comes with the Secret Service requesting Trump stop using his own airplane and adopt the more—secure Air Force One jet.
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“This week, he was forced to abandon his cherished ’Trump’ 757 for an Air Force jet, and, according to people close to the transition, he has traded in his Android phone for a secure, encrypted device approved by the Secret Service with a new number that few people possess,” The New York Times reported.
While Obama did indeed continue to use other devices, his official smartphone apparently prevented him from doing much, even snapping photos.
When Obama was given a smartphone to replace his Blackberry he had said that the NSA told him, “Mr President for security reasons this is a great phone, state of the art, but it doesn’t take pictures, you can’t text, the phone doesn’t work, you can’t play your music on it“.
“Does your three—year—old have one of those play phones? With the stickers on it? That’s basically the phone I’ve got,” Obama had earlier said.