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Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

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Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#31

Post by shadowgovt »

shrimp_emoji wrote: post #24
hbn wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I switched to an iPhone and I'm using proprietary applications, but ones that don't randomly change their UI on a regular basis whenever some nameless product manager decides they want to use me to gather some new engagement metrics by rearranging UIs on my phone

No, they just entomb you into a comfy walled garden where it's only easy to do what Apple lets you do and where you hope some change made by some nameless product manager/CEO autocrat doesn't force you to buy more expensive hardware.

Yeah, it's pretty great. Best walled garden on the market by a country mile.

Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#33

Post by jchw »

hbn wrote: post #11
devit wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just don't use proprietary applications (or don't expect them to serve you).

I switched to an iPhone and I'm using proprietary applications, but ones that don't randomly change their UI on a regular basis whenever some nameless product manager decides they want to use me to gather some new engagement metrics by rearranging UIs on my phone

That’s funny. I mean I use iOS and sure the UI is nice… but if you are thinking there’s not needless silly UI changes… how many major versions have you been through?

Some of the bad phone UX ideas started on iPhone. Like removing the physical button at the bottom in favor of annoying gestures and no touch ID. And iOS 7 removed all of the borders everywhere, it’s arguably more radical than Google Material, a UI design I also am not really that fond of.

I guess if you mean there’s no A/B testing or it moves slower then probably. But, it definitely moves. That becomes apparent any time you load an app from the App Store that hasn’t been updated in a while and suddenly your phone looks and feels like it did 2 years ago across the whole UI.

Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#34

Post by pavel_lishin »

devit wrote: post #9
hbn wrote: post #4

> They had implemented that already a while ago, then reverted the behaviour, and now implemented it once again. This is, among many other reasons, why I finally dropped Android after the better part of a decade. The constant A/B/C/D/E testing makes every single thing they put out feel like it's a constant state of beta testing. It's to the point where you don't even know what to expect when you do something as funda…

Just don't use proprietary applications (or don't expect them to serve you).

Isn't that equivalent to telling us not to install apps at all?

Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#35

Post by binkHN »

This is truly a sad state of affairs—I really hope this was just an oversite as a result of the new Data Safety section they have been rolled out as I frequently used this permission list to determine if I was going to install an app or not.

Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#36

Post by ffhhj »

hbn wrote: post #4

> They had implemented that already a while ago, then reverted the behaviour, and now implemented it once again. This is, among many other reasons, why I finally dropped Android after the better part of a decade. The constant A/B/C/D/E testing makes every single thing they put out feel like it's a constant state of beta testing. It's to the point where you don't even know what to expect when you do something as funda…

> one day that gives you a totally new UI in an app you use every day, hiding things or removing features you rely on. Then maybe in another few days it'll be back to how it was.

We are approaching the age of Schrodinger's Apps.

Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#37

Post by hbn »

jchw wrote: post #33
hbn wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I switched to an iPhone and I'm using proprietary applications, but ones that don't randomly change their UI on a regular basis whenever some nameless product manager decides they want to use me to gather some new engagement metrics by rearranging UIs on my phone

That’s funny. I mean I use iOS and sure the UI is nice… but if you are thinking there’s not needless silly UI changes… how many major versions have you been through? Some of the bad phone UX ideas started on iPhone. Like removing the physical button at the bottom in favor of annoying gestures and no touch ID. And iOS 7 removed all of the borders everywhere, it’s arguably more radical than Google Material, a UI design…

They've definitely changed the overall look, but a good amount of their apps are pretty much identical in how you use them from the original iPhone in 2007. Notes, Messages, Contacts, etc are all relatively unchanged, except for additional features. The biggest overhaul was probably the recent change to Safari where they brought the address bar to the bottom, which was a consideration based on how big phones have gotten, and allows you to reach things easier.

And at the very least, these changes come from normal app updates either from the App Store or OS updates. And it's usually a pretty big deal when they change something, and gets a formal announcement months in advance where someone high up gets up in front of the world and pitches why the change is an improvement (not to say it always is). Whereas Google just randomly shunts out new UI updates on a regular basis and enables them for random people. Usually someone posting about their new UI on reddit is the first place you'll hear about the redesigns.

Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#39

Post by mdp2021 »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #16
simonsarris wrote: post #2

That seems OK since it still asks you as it needs them when running an app, and "prunes" permissions away from apps that you do not use often. Lots of apps only need specific permissions if you use specific parts of the app. And apps are much larger (one app does more things) than they were 5-10 years ago. Eg you can use some apps as a camera, but never as a photo editor, and get use out of it by only giving some spe…

> That seems OK since it still asks you as it needs them when running an app, and "prunes" permissions away from apps that you do not use often. No no no no no, this is a total catastrophe. I can't understand how it got implemented at all. I just missed a birthday notification from my calendar app because Android "helpfully" removed the app's ability to create notifications! After all, I hadn't opened the calendar ap…

> and "prunes" permissions away from apps that you do not use often

Certainly agreed: a system should never "take the initiative" and replace you in decisions.

I am seeing cars that act along the lines of "Ah, you turned off the air conditioning, so I'll proactively open the windows": this clearly indicates that some manufacturers have embraced decadence and nihilism, they "have given up" and "want to watch the world burn" (unless they are simply underage savages).

Re: Tell HN: Google does not list application permissions in the Play Store any more

#40

Post by cptskippy »

martin_bech wrote: post #3

Probably because all apps are now required to target the latest api, which means most permissions are done by user prompts, and not just by downloading the app.

So now I have to install an App to discover it wants access to things I don't feel comfortable giving it access to, uninstall it, and then go into my profile and disassociate the app from my Account?

That sounds so much easier than just listing the possible permissions it might ask for on the Store Page before I install it.

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