> Google Play Protect was also completely unhelpful, which was a big disappointment.
Google Play Protect performs notoriously poorly compared to dedicated malware apps:
Malware on My Android Phone
71–80 of 237 posts
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#72A QR code reader was the problem then... I am an Android user since the dawn of time and I was so surprised when my wife showed me that on her iPhone the QR code reader is embedded in her camera app... I wonder why it is not the same in any version of Android that I have used (now I am on Android One). This plus the native support for CardDav and CalDav are pushing me to try iOS next time I have to change my phone.
I have an Honor5C on Android 7 (with EMUI5) and there's a QR code reader built in, but I only found it by accident.
After taking a picture of a QR code, view the image, tap 'more', wait 10s, if the image is good enough (and it really needs perfect focus and placement, it's very pinickety) then it will show "read QR code", if you choose that option it will then take you to a URL/text preview, and then you can open your browser to that URL, etc..
Worst discoverability ever!
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#73As sad as the incident is: I am glad he is still committed to Android after being a team member and therefore equipped with a deep understanding about the platform and architecture itself.
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#74A QR code reader was the problem then... I am an Android user since the dawn of time and I was so surprised when my wife showed me that on her iPhone the QR code reader is embedded in her camera app... I wonder why it is not the same in any version of Android that I have used (now I am on Android One). This plus the native support for CardDav and CalDav are pushing me to try iOS next time I have to change my phone.
I have a Pixel 2. It scans QR codes with the default camera app just fine. When it detects a QR code you get a little popup you can click. It even works with regular 1D barcodes.
Same here with my Samsung Galaxy S8+. There's a QR code scanner in the camera app.
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
QR Reader are load of everything. I went mad to find one a decent one for my parents’ android phone and apparently it doesn’t exists. So in a weekend I’ve created one without any kind of tracking, ads, permission, whatever. Here it is if you guys need one -> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prof18.sec...
Or anything from FDroid. I use Barcode Scanner ( https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.google.zxing.client.andr... ) as it scans even damaged codes.
I feel like this is a good example of how difficult it is to find a good barcode scanner. It mentions permissions for contacts and full network access. I would have thought that those two permissions should not be necessary for a barcode scanner and point toward something dodgy going on.
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#76What surprised here is that Android doesn’t have a native QR scanner. I’ve always assumed that iOS was late to the game and that Google Search/Lens handled QRs since 1999. Is that not the case (anymore)?
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#77Sounds like it might be related to the reviews for this app? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.zxi... A 2020 review talks about ads appearing after a recent "update", but the app hasn't pushed an update since 2018! I've always had this app installed and never experienced adware, perhaps those reviews are left by people falling victim to the copycat scam?
I had this app too, and I remember thinking it was weird because I think an official google developer blog (or something like that) mentioned the need to install it, as there was no built in QR code reader at the time. I can't remember which old phone I had it on though.
I also think those reviews might be left by people who can't find the original offending app because it's been removed. https://www.apkshub.com/app/com.qrcodescanner.barcodescanner seems to show it had BILLING permission though, which is always an alarm bell.
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#78A QR code reader was the problem then... I am an Android user since the dawn of time and I was so surprised when my wife showed me that on her iPhone the QR code reader is embedded in her camera app... I wonder why it is not the same in any version of Android that I have used (now I am on Android One). This plus the native support for CardDav and CalDav are pushing me to try iOS next time I have to change my phone.
This is basically the problem I have with Windows (well, had, maybe it's gotten better): a bunch of basic tools are third-party utilities. Microsoft will even point you to them?! On macOS either the basic things are build in or easy to find from a website that isn't trying to push a new toolbar at you. On Linux you just use your package manager to install whatever it is…
I don’t think you really need any 3rd party utility on Windows anymore, for the basic tasks. Any hrowser has PDF viewing, .zip support is already there (since Win2000), it has basic image manipulation and text editing, screenshot editor, and i think even desktop-recording. Sure, none of these things is a “best in class” app, but that’s normal (and leaves market space for developers). Anything beyond that is not “basic” and I wouldn’t expect it on MacOS either.
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
QR Reader are load of everything. I went mad to find one a decent one for my parents’ android phone and apparently it doesn’t exists. So in a weekend I’ve created one without any kind of tracking, ads, permission, whatever. Here it is if you guys need one -> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prof18.sec...
I've been using this one since the Android 1.0: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.zxi... What's interesting, is that despite the app not being updated since 2018, open source, and containing no ads or tracking the reviews are saying it recently became adware. Searching for barcode scanner in the app store brings you to a horrible sea of ad supported crap ware, and it seems like that crap ware w…
Hm, it says updated February 2019?
But I also use this app for QR-codes, since I was never able to find an alternative. The vast permissions required make me nervous every time I install it... Good to know it is on F-Droid as well, built from a source tarball, so should be OK [1]?
[1] https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.google.zxing.client.andr...
Re: Malware on My Android Phone
#80What surprised here is that Android doesn’t have a native QR scanner. I’ve always assumed that iOS was late to the game and that Google Search/Lens handled QRs since 1999. Is that not the case (anymore)?
My Huawei phone actually does come with a QR scanner. You just have to open the built in camera app, then click this icon[0]. It defaults to the translator camera, which I find really that you can just point at text and it translates it on your screen. Then there's a picture of a square with a line down the center that turns on the QR scanner.
As you can imagine, when all the covid checkins started, I couldn't find this. Everyone would say to me "just open the camera on your iPhone it's easy" as though it was a given that every visitor was using an Apple phone.
I went through three different QR apps based on what I found on the play store and all of them blasted me with inappropriate ads I kept wishing I didn't open in public. A bit if visibility in the UX would have solved this.