The claim
Get paid by apps for your phone calls and personal data to train AI.
Neon went viral in September 2025 and its data exposure was covered by TechCrunch, TechRadar, Tom's Guide and eWeek.
How we checked
This is an evidence check, not a hands-on test. We reviewed platform rules and policies, published earnings data, regulator warnings and reporting: 3 sources, listed below.
Costs
- Start-up cost
- £0
- Effort
- low
What the evidence shows
Apps paying for personal data are real but small, and the privacy cost can be large. Neon paid 30 cents a minute for calls to other Neon users or up to $30 a day for other calls, climbing to second place among free social networking apps in Apple's App Store. In September 2025 it went offline after TechCrunch found a flaw that let anyone access other users' phone numbers, call recordings and transcripts. Tom's Guide warned that its broad licence lets recordings be sold for AI training, and that data once sold can be resold or leaked.
Realistic earnings: Earnings were capped (up to $30 a day for calls to non-Neon users), in exchange for handing over recordings of you and the people you talk to. The sources show one high-profile app was shut down over a data exposure.
Limitations
Earnings ranges are typical outcomes for a beginner, drawn from the sources; some people do far better or worse. Platform rules change often, so check the latest policy before you start.
Rarely matches what is promised.
Sources
- eWeek: Neon paid 30 cents per minute for calls between users and up to $30 a day for other calls; went offline after a security flaw exposed recordings eweek.com
- TechRadar (26 Sep 2025): anyone could access phone numbers, transcripts and call recordings of any other Neon user; call participants were not alerted they were being recorded techradar.com
- Tom's Guide: Neon's 'vague and inclusive' licence allows audio to be sold for AI training; personal data can be resold, breached or leaked tomsguide.com