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We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

bluespace.tech

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Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#31

Post by david_allison »

Gigachad wrote: post #26
david_allison wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's only for 'dangerous' permissions as defined by Android. As an example: NFC is defined as a 'normal' permission.[0] As far as I'm aware [not an expert here], there's nothing stopping an app developer from updating their app with the ability to steal credit card/passport information (if the card is tapped against the phone). [0] https://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.per...

Credit cards can not be duplicated wirelessly. I’m not familiar with passports but if they can then I’d say that’s a flaw of the cards rather than phone permissions. It’s possible to read nfc cards from quite a distance with a high power reader.

Do you have a source on that [credit cards]?

From a casual further inspection, there are videos on YouTube which demonstrate this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_6oMZb8UOI

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#32

Post by lovelearning »

Gigachad wrote: post #25
beninsydney wrote: post #7

It's unfortunate that regulators have largely overlooked privacy in smartphone apps amidst all the other concerns they have over such platforms.

The permissions list on the play store was completely useless from a privacy standpoint. Even power users could to just about nothing with the info. The situation now where you approve or reject permissions as they are used in the app is vastly better than the original android model of being shown a wall of text with the options to either give away all of your data and security or not install the app.

I used them as a signal of the developer's intentions. An app that asked for too many that I couldn't logically relate to the app's features was a red flag.

There was no reason to remove them from the store page. In general, there's no reason to remove additional information, that too info which was already hidden behind an obscure button that only a few power users ever checked. The dynamic permission model is the better runtime one but there's no good-faith justification at all to delete information about permissions. The latter is like the documentation for a feature and removing it is like hiding documentation.

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#33

Post by MrThoughtful »

What I always found very confusing is that apps on Android can either read all of the SD drive or nothing. Wouldn't the normal approach to gate applications from each other be to give each one the right to access a single directory?

The way it is, all apps want to "READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" so they all can read all the data I save.

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#35

Post by happyopossum »

manchmalscott wrote: post #17
xnx wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Android still has permissions

Not presented in the App Store; both android and iOS still have a permission system, but you need to download the app before you can see what permissions the app has asked for.

In iOS you see what permissions are requested when the app needs them and, you know, requests them from you with a dialog. That seems good enough?

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#36

Post by BLKNSLVR »

kulshan wrote: post #34

I teach digital literacy courses for seniors. The Play Store is such a nightmare for me. What used to be a lesson on basic app installation has now become a safety lesson on how to be careful in the Play Store. It's a minefield of scammy apps.

... with a percentage cut to Google to "curate" said minefield as effectively as it resolves developer queries as to 'why banned?'.

Is the App Store much better?

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#37

Post by lupire »

MrThoughtful wrote: post #33

What I always found very confusing is that apps on Android can either read all of the SD drive or nothing. Wouldn't the normal approach to gate applications from each other be to give each one the right to access a single directory? The way it is, all apps want to "READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" so they all can read all the data I save.

Incorrect. Apps have private storage and shared storage, separate from fill disk access.

https://developer.android.com/training/data-storage

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#38

Post by russdill »

lovelearning wrote: post #28

The dynamic permissions are not a replacement. Some users would never even install apps that asked for too many static permissions on the Play page. But now, if an app seems to meet their needs and they aren't sure, some of them will go ahead and install it just to try it out. How much can one run hurt after all? Due to unresolved questions or sunk cost dilemmas, they may even grant dynamic permissions. How much can…

On a related note, I don't understand why apps are permitted to require you to enable certain permissions or refuse to run. What is the point of giving users control of their privacy if large popular apps are a able to essentially opt out of the optional part. I'm looking at you Kakao.

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#39

Post by BLKNSLVR »

paradite wrote: post #4

I publish both Android and iOS apps regularly, this is just Google getting to feature parity with Apple. Apple had data safety, Google now has it. Apple didn't show permissions, now Google also doesn't. Presumably most people don't really care about permissions anymore.

People don't whinge about what they don't know, and they won't know what they aren't shown.

Re: We can't check the app permissions on Google Play anymore

#40

Post by axelthegerman »

russdill wrote: post #38
lovelearning wrote: post #28

The dynamic permissions are not a replacement. Some users would never even install apps that asked for too many static permissions on the Play page. But now, if an app seems to meet their needs and they aren't sure, some of them will go ahead and install it just to try it out. How much can one run hurt after all? Due to unresolved questions or sunk cost dilemmas, they may even grant dynamic permissions. How much can…

On a related note, I don't understand why apps are permitted to require you to enable certain permissions or refuse to run. What is the point of giving users control of their privacy if large popular apps are a able to essentially opt out of the optional part. I'm looking at you Kakao.

Agreed for optional permissions, but not sure what you'd expect a browser to do that doesn't have internet access or a camera app that is not allowed to access the camera
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