I had an app tell me that it needed authorization to my keyboard and any information that had ever been typed to "ensure an adequate customer experience". Definitely the quickest install to deletion time right there.
Yea I've had several apps say )hey I need your location at any and all times!" And I'm like "bitch your a fart/air horn button, dufuq u need that for??"
Yea I guess that makes sense but i always hit deny and 9/10 times the app doesn't have a problem with it. Rarely it will say the app won't work without it.
Santander was the first I came across. They wanted location and camera to even download (or maybe login). I hit them up on twitter and they cited their branch locator and photo check deposit. Fine, Whatever
ThellraAK ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 06:16:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
At least on lollipop it asks you when the app wants it, so you can go to permissions and revoke it and it should be fine.
On the other hand, how much would you be willing to pay to advertise your restaurant without location data? Fine tuned ads are much more effective in other ways too.
I would rather see ads for computer/server hardware, software and game trailers vs beauty, health and fitness products.
Note that I don't necessarily advocate these things.
I don't want to sound like a dick... Actually I do.. but what part of that doesn't make sense to you? You mean a messaging app needs access to your keyboard?! Crazy! And it needs access to... Messages!!? That's just absurd!
Because the app basically just lets you add stickers into your iMessages. There are two ways to do it. The first way and the way that the app heavily encourages is for you to give it unfettered access to your keyboard and all information that has ever been typed, including any naughty comments you may have sent your wife or any financial info you may have texted. The second way is to just manually enable it through the "App Store" icon on your messaging screen, which gives the app no access to your information. The fact that the app tries to back you into a compromising situation and then throws you a generic excuse for why it's necessary is problematic to me.
Kbd access mean all your passwords will eventually be for sale in bulk. You may not make the connection to that app you downloaded, but a kbd sniffer is bad news.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Literally every app that uses the keyboard does the same thing.
JM-Lemmi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:55:04 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The problem is tho. Sometimes you really need the apps function, so you have to give in to the data mining.
Look at Android 6, where they introduced the possibility to block apps from certain authorizations. Now the apps check authorization at startup and won't start unless you give them the rights they want. cough Snapchat cough
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:08:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's supported by in app purchases. I'm ok with that. I'm not ok with the prospect of selling off my personal information like private conversations with the wife or anything financial that I may have texted.
When I first started using Reddit and I didn't know what it meant, until I finally browsed someone who explained I gave it my best guess of "fuck that fuck you"
I read it years ago on Cracked and was like "Holy shit, that's pretty messed up" haha
HMJ87 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 08:01:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah skinner box mechanics have been a thing in video games (and gambling; slot machines are basically human skinner boxes) for a long time, but with the rise of freemium gaming they've really ramped it up massively
Yep, the article I read specifically referenced World of Warcraft. I first learned about the Skinner Box itself in either one of my college science classes or in a Psychology class.
HMJ87 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 09:10:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I was thinking this morning about World of Warcraft and how they actively discouraged (and banned people for) buying gold with real money. Nowadays games are actually building that system into their games intentionally and building mechanics around trying to make the game borderline unplayable without purchasing premium currency, and sadly it's not confined to free-to-play games.
Absolutely. I was looking for free to play web games once because my job at the time was extremely boring and found a game called "WarHammer" or something like that, that was like Command and Conquer but once you leveled up like 3 times it would take hours for stuff to be built, but of course you could buy stuff to instantly complete the build time. By like level 10 it would get to the point where I could literally only play for like 10 minutes before I just had to wait for hours until stuff finished building and then I could play for another 10 minutes. I complained on their forums and pretty much got laughed off because some people were like level 40 and they said they would have to wait a month or two for some of their things to be built! At that point I stopped playing the game because it was clearly a money making scheme.
sap91 ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 04:02:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As someone who has the job to design these logos... We are dictated by literal studies and tests done on the current market by clicks. The winning clicks are almost always of the following: screaming man, hot chick, flames, dragons, or a cute animal. Fyi, conbo of all had Bentn suggested many times. You are not a genius.
I purposely avoid anything that looks like it was designed to draw in idiots.
Like all of those things.
Also, the way every single mobile game is fucking "War of Dragons" or "Clan Wars" or "Dungeon Clan Wars" or something extremely similar. Fuck all those games simply for using the laziest and most obviously clickbait-y titles.
Also, if I see an ad more than once, you'd better believe I will never play that game. If I wanted it, I would have downloaded it the first time. More ads just pisses me off and makes me want to go leave a shit review even though I'd never consider actually trying the game.
Mobile gaming blows.
Quick edit since you probably have some contact with the right people: I would pay upwards of $10 for a truly quality, original mobile game with no ads or pay-to-win. I live on the road so I do a lot of mobile gaming, but I'm so sick of the same old bullshit. Somebody needs to make a good game and just charge for the game itself rather than making it impossible to enjoy.
Maybe it's just nostalgia but I recall there were quite a lot of quality games when mobile gaming starting gaining traction, back around 2010. It didn't take long after that until the market was flooded with freemium games though.
Has anybody noticed mobile game ads that are literally just using PC gameplay as their ads? I saw one where it was just a youtube video of a modded in A-10 in a ww2 pacific theater naval game and they tried to pass it off as their mobile game. Or the one where it was just world of warcraft.
kakemot ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:58:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Hey guys!!! Look! This guy on the internet wants to pay $10 for a game on the app store, let's make it!
Sports. I play MLB 9 Innings 17, and it's fun as a knockoff MLB: The Show, but it's still very basic and begs me for money at every turn. It's possible to advance without spending money, but it takes a ton of dedication. I'm still playing it, though.
Sports would be tough to pull off on mobile because of graphics, I think. I wouldn't mind good RPGs. Another redditor just showed me that some of the old Final Fantasy games are now on mobile, so I'll be buying a couple of those.
Drycee ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:08:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Funny enough, just yesterday I browsed through the appstore for a while looking for a game, and didnt even look at your mentioned logos. Either they don't stand out because they all look the same so I don't even see them in the masses, or it just has the negative reputation of being a cash-grab clone, be it true or not.
It's not even a conscious boycott or anything. If the game was good I'd still play it. But I don't even really notice or consider them anymore. It's like if you get a shady pop-up on some website. The product might be good, but the way it advertises has a scam-y reputation so I don't even look at it.
I am the exact same. I don't know if it's because I am aware of the typical market response or what, but as an artist who wants to do unique art, it's highly depressing to be told after a series of tests "the lowest common denominator has spoken. MORE ANGRY MEN AND TITS."
pnt700 ยท 65 points ยท Posted at 23:48:42 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I hate it, but there may be a reason apps do this: the default setting in Android is to not auto-update if new permissions are asked. So, if you ask all possible permissions at the start, you don't worry about many users staying behind.
Not sure about the numbers, but I heard the theory and seems logical, although still douchy.
[deleted] ยท 77 points ยท Posted at 23:52:58 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Sometimes it's also entirely from the ad library. So that innocent calculator or notepad developer doesn't explicitly add gazillion of permissions, but the ad library use/planning to use them
Yes. That developer could start using them in later updates without telling you. He is just pointing out that the reason why every app with ads requires location data etc. is due to ad network.
I never suggested you should, and the developers don't either based on the lack of a donation link.
mattyyt ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 06:47:10 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's a calculator, the most basic thing going. When teaching kids to code it's the second thing that they'll make
Jostain ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:53:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe I want apps that are not school projects that they put in a store. I want apps that a professional worked full time on. People keep complaining that things are bad but wont pay for them. Maybe MTV would be a good channel if people payed for music. Maybe news wouldn't be fake if people payed for news papers. Maybe, just maybe we could have an appstore that isn't a dumpster fire if people payed for well made apps.
wolfram alpha is a really good calculator for example. No ads and it has great functions.
That's because I payed them to make it. Pay people to work and they will do it like its their job.
Edit: I stand by my ignorance of how to properly spell paid!
lkjasdfou ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:56:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I always find it interesting. I just started learning android development nanodegree and basic calculator or stopwatch is very easy to do, yet it needs shitload of ads and horrible UI to exist.
On the other hand you have Ubuntu, you have torrent downloaders, you have such complex programs for PCs which dont have ads, dont track data yet they are free.
How does this happen?
How does python happen? Python is far more complex than a basic calculator.
BlueAdmir ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 05:27:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I always find it interesting. I just started learning android development nanodegree and basic calculator or stopwatch is very easy to do, yet it needs shitload of ads and horrible UI to exist.
Those are made to make a living
On the other hand you have Ubuntu, you have torrent downloaders, you have such complex programs for PCs which dont have ads, dont track data yet they are free.
As you said. Devs need to make a living. So why dont those on ubuntu have to make a living while a simple calc app that takes less than a week for a complete beginner has to be filled with ads.
Why can I go online and search for a program and get one for free, without ads (like GIMP), but if I want even the most basic of mobile apps basically all will be filled with ads. No one has mobile apps as their side project?
For Apple, a big part of this is the yearly cost of dev license and hardware required to develop for Apple. People who get into iOS development plan to profit from it.
Android is a lot better in this: "dev license" is not even a thing, SDK is free, every phone can run sideloaded apps and every PC works as a dev platform. You only need to pay ~$20 once if you want to use Google Play, and there are a lot of programs that distribute outside of it.
It's far easier to put ads in android apps because google already provided the framework, so most devs can't resist it. With things like Ubuntu they're not part of Google so can't use Google's ad base and it's too much work to put their own ads in.
A computer is nothing more than a device that makes calculations, to make an app that makes calculations is one of the easiest things to do. In fact I made a calculator application myself during college. So any decent dev could make a calculator app in a day or two.
Only if they add scientific calculations or complex math shit would it take more time.
Same for a notepad app that just saves plain text to a file without fancy formatting or whatever.
So no, they shouldn't need access to all my personal information, nor should I have to pay for it.
Uteiku ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:29:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If the dev wants to make some money from their super-simple app they either have to charge for it or show ads. If they choose ads (pretty logical as it likely means more downloads), they will probably use an ad library, and that is where much of the permissions crap comes from. I'm not saying it's OK, I'm just explaining why it happens.
You can turn off individual permissions for any app though. If the whole app shuts down if you don't give it your constant location, it's not worth using.
whenever an app requires shit like that at startup, I'll go back to settings and remove the permissions. either it runs with that, asks again (no!) or goes straight to ๐๏ธ
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:31:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My Guess: It doesn't but, it probably does need access to read phone call state. Why? So that it can turn off the flashlight when you receive a call which kinda makes sense.
Source: Am app developer
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:42:51 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's not that hard, at least for Android. If a dev can't remove an entry from the manifest and refactor out the few situations that now throw errors due to the missing permission, you shouldn't trust their code to do much else.
Yes but users are dumb. Remember that you're talking about people who will click a button just to make the annoying box go away, without having any idea whatsoever what it said.
I hate it when they punish smart users. Like usually I'm fine with using my Facebook to login to things because I can decline sharing any info with them, but some apps have started not allowing you to login without having access to shit like your birthday. I'm sure you'd love to wish me a happy birthday, Soundcloud, but frankly could you please fuck off?
Utkar22 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:29:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Do people actually use their real birthdays?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:46:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Eh depends. It's about 50/50 for me. If it's an account I care about and trust reasonably well like Google or Facebook then yes. If it's a piece of shit account I'm using just to access the rest of this stupid fucking Quora page then no.
Utkar22 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:30:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Doesn't quora use Facebook account?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:32:26 on September 6, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You can also sign up with a regular email.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:37:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:15:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Oh okay
[deleted] ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 05:30:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
jtvjan ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 06:47:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It would be cool if rooting was an option in developer settings. It would send a message back to the manufacturer to void your software warranty, but users wouldn't have to go through too much trouble to root their device.
K900_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:47:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's what it already is, effectively, on many devices, except it's done at bootloader level, and instead of just allowing root it wipes the device and blows a hardware fuse for security reasons.
jtvjan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:36:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I know, but that, flashing TWRP, and flashing SuperSU is hard for users.
That'd be too dangerous. As much as I love the cool tweaks you can do with it, rooting should honestly be left for power users who are willing and capable of going through the whole procedure. It just... Opens up so much room for malicious apps to ever be a good idea
Then again you see a lot of people posting a photo of an app requirements saying " PROOF THIS APP IS ACTIVATING YOUR CAMERA WITHOUT PERMISSION , WAKE UP!".
when the app only have a "capture profile photo" option.
Yes, the app might be stealing info, but this is not proof, it's like sending someone to jail because he could have been in the crime scene
Aistar ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:52:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And then you add a 3rd-party library, and suddenly, your app needs all permissions in the world and crash if user fails to grant them (see: every damned ad network SDK).
zyhhuhog ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:19:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"all I'm trying to do is to enhance user experience"
koolex ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:52:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
No It's probably ad networks. They would love to track everything about a user in their third party libraries and if you don't push back or you use the sleazier sdks they will for sure cause your app to require stupid unnecessary privileges.
dalakkin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:17:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Or: "Maybe this permission will be useful in the future, I might add calendar functionality at some point."
unndunn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:00:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I had one of these in my iOS app. For some reason, App Store review detected that my app requests access to your Calendar even though I never coded it in. Probably a third-party library I'm using.
Anyway, I had to give an explanation, so I just said "I don't need access to your Calendar. Feel free to deny this permission request." That got it through review.
Apple and Google tell app developers the same thing.
[deleted] ยท 56 points ยท Posted at 04:00:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Tell that to Google Play services. They have ALL my permissions on and won't run without them.
brendan09 ยท 77 points ยท Posted at 04:18:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Not sure how familiar with Android dev you are, but Play Services is more of an API framework than a background โserviceโ that does Play Store related things. It does do some Play Store stuff, but it does so much more that most Android apps canโt run without it installed.
Pretty much every Android app uses Play Services in its app, from UI to many system features. Play Services is Googleโs hack at adding new APIs and SDK features without requiring manufacturers to ship Android updates. It has to have all permissions so that it can expose these APIs to apps using Play Services APIs. This still requires the apps themselves to get permission, but Play Services needs them by design.
[deleted] ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:52:28 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Play Services is Googleโs hack at adding new APIs and SDK features without requiring manufacturers to ship Android updates
More like it's a way for Google to slowly make more and more of Android closed source and proprietary
brendan09 ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:57:37 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
quido3 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:06:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And this is currently enforced too. There are some permissions that can't 'just be' in the app, but need to be asked at the time of use. Atleast on the newest Android versions.
iynque ยท 482 points ยท Posted at 22:27:58 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
A lot of iOS apps do this. You get a little pop up explaining why it needs a given permission, then if you say 'OK' (or whatever) the OS-level "can I have permission?" dialogue comes up. In more recent updates, I think the app can even send a brief explanation to appear right on the OS-level dialogue.
Most apps don't bother, but many do explain what it's for first. โฆand I've never personally seen something so vague as "to improve user experience," but I'm sure it exists.
blehmeh98 ยท 215 points ยท Posted at 01:55:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Even then, in IOS, it doesn't ask for permission when it installs the app but instead asks for permission when you first need it. So, if you click a button and it suddenly wants to see your photo library, you have a clue as to why regardless of whether there's an explanation or not.
On the other hand, if you're not doing much and it suddenly wants something weird like your contacts despite not doing anything to give it a good reason, you can tell it's not trustworthy.
The funny thing is, Android should need that permission more than anything else because the Apple App Store is screen really well and thus probably doesn't need to ask for permission carefully whereas the Google Play Store is easier for malicious developers to get into.
As a 45.8%er, I do not associate myself with such plebeians who do not have granular control of permissions.
Uraniu ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:34:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Then you also have to account for apps that still don't use the newer permission system and possibly never will.
blehmeh98 ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 02:52:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Really? Sweet.
Sorry if I present outdated info. I haven't had an android phone for a while, I think the latest version I've used was 5.something.
Secretss ยท 15 points ยท Posted at 03:39:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Doesn't Android still ask for all permissions upon installation? It doesn't let you pick and choose the what permissions to give either.
On iOS the permissions prompt doesn't come up until you're in the app and have tapped on something that needs it. If you download a camera app, it's not going to ask for access to camera until you launch the app, and it's not going to ask for photo library until you tap on the app's album icon, and same for microphone until you switch to the video function in the camera.
I'm curious exactly how Android's permissions requisition has evolved to date.
As long as the app's specified for 6.0 and above, it works the same. Unfortunately, a lot of apps just ignore this, and Google doesn't do much about it.
vinng86 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 06:27:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They can't make use of newer APIs if they build against an older version of the android SDK though. Eventually they will have to build towards a later SDK soon or later or they'll be obsolete.
really a mixed bag right now. some permissions are verified on install or update, others when the app starts the action associated (like loading a video file from storage for the intro).
Too bad that it's widely generalized, since the popup speaks of photos, music and shit instead of just showing the path the app tries to access.
Android permissions should pop up as and when they are requried now and not upon installation
B_Rad15 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:44:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Nope android is the same however certain apps require permissions on startup (as i assume is the same on iOS)
Bensemus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:14:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I thought this was true but when I download apps they ask for all their permissions up front. WhatsApp stopped working after I told it it couldn't access my location like 10 times. On iOS that didn't happen. I much prefer how iOS handles permissions. Android seems to let apps bully you into letting them have access even if they shoudnt needed to just open.
From someone who does a lot of Android app dev, if that is the case, it is the app developers fault for not properly handling permissions. Not the fault of the os itself. You might agrue that Google should be more thorough when allowing apps on the store though. Apple may be checking that permissions work as you expect. Whereas Google is probably a lot more lenient with how permissions are handled
Tommh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:35:28 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's actually designed by the developer. You can just request those things willy nilly but it makes more sense to request them if needed.
Some users might not ever upload a photo, and it'd freak them out if you randomly requested access to their photos, even though they don't know that there's still very restricted access to things like that.
When I was first learning iOS development I had no clue what I was doing when requested permissions for things I needed later so I put them in the appDidFinishLaunchingWithOptions function which would pop up right away. Unless they changed that in the last few years then those apps are still out there and approved
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:12:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's a design choice to ask permission when you first need it.
Devs can trigger all permissions up front, or wait until you use a feature. It's a pretty common tenant of UX that you want to spread it out and ask with context
Look in Settings/Privacy/Location Services and click on the app you want to know about, where you can choose never allow, while using the app or always allow. There's an 'app explanation' below. This is what mine says for Facebook.
if that game has a pre-rendered intro video (not a full motion sequence rendered during runtime by rubbing sprites over your screen), it'll trigger the storage permission.
I mean it's glaringly obvious that "read it's own files and/or have a small cache or temp or something" and "read all of my personal photos and stuff" should be two completely separate kinds of permissions.
And yet I still see a vague "access storage" permission that I have to accept or uninstall on major apps...
Even in old Android, an app can access its own private folder without triggering any permissions. So that vague warning is there because it gives the app access to the rest of the storage. Private app storage is in "Android/app_name/files"
I've made a full multimedia game with no permissions. Is possible. Now that internet access isn't a listed permission, there's no reason for a lot of permissions in most cases. There are a few exceptions.
I've made a full multimedia game with no permissions. Is possible. Now that internet access isn't a listed permission, there's no reason for a lot of permissions in most cases. There are a few exceptions.
A lot of people have pointed out that most permission requests seem to come from ad networks.
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 09:10:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Full multimedia game, you say... Can I access it somewhere while I surf on the WWW?
If it was summed up in 2 or 3 sentences for each permission I would read it and much more likely to allow it , because some apps won't function without that permission and it doesn't seem like it needs to have access to it , like why does a game need to be able to make calls or use my camera
gallery should be an additional permission. storage is too generalized with allowing access to all data on store. android devs fucked that one up.
jtvjan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:39:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
But the โgalleryโ your phone shows you is just all the folders of photos on your phone combined into one. Your phone is just a small computer that fits in your pocket, so think of โstorageโ as your user folder. Try going to settings, storage, tap your main storage and tap explore. You'll see a Downloads folder, a Documents folder, a Pictures folder, a Music folder, etcโฆ sound familiar?
Yes. But you know the difference? I don't take my windows rig with me to the white throne nor do I have it on me all day.
It helps avoid leaking nudes when DCIM and other camera fed directories are protected by a different circle of permission compared to the general storage permission in place now.
mbirth ยท 45 points ยท Posted at 22:39:11 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The "make calls" permission is often used to detect when you get a call so the game can be paused. "Camera" should only be allowed if the game has something like avatars or you can scan QR codes.
chuby2005 ยท 25 points ยท Posted at 00:01:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
How do we know you're not just a shady dev who pulls this type of shit to access personal info? Hmmm???
Why not separate these things into separate read and write permissions (i.e. "make calls" vs "get phone call status")?
nowayguy ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 01:08:03 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The permission itself is for either ignoring or interupting a dominant program (ie. the "phone" program.) If this permission is not met the phone program automaticly overides the current program.
For most games, this allows the "phonecall notification bar" rather than shutting down the game
I often won't install an app based on permissions. All it takes is a few news stories to go viral about some of the apps that record you on purpose etc (they exist, but aren't typical), and people would maybe demand something be done. The problem is that right now media won't do a story on it unless the app is popular. Someone will mess up soon enough...
[deleted] ยท 26 points ยท Posted at 04:20:51 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Super Fart Noises needs access to the following:
Internal storage
Camera
Contacts list
Purchase history
Bank account
Employer information
Wife and kids
List of worst fears
Alaanor ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:10:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Last fart emitted by you or a person within a 50 meter radius of you
Of course the developer has to implement it. It certainly is possible to give an explanation for the permission request - I have experienced it both as a developer and user.
Racorse ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:58:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Apple has this. In Xcode you have to explain why you are using location services, photos, camera etc... It isn't used for anything other than the alert function description when the app says "'App' wants to access photos". So yeah, it can be improved.
phu-q-2 ยท 32 points ยท Posted at 23:41:32 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Even if they stated "the reason" it doesn't mean that's what the reason would be. Many of these apps are designed to collect data to sell. Not help you. Fucking asshole app developers selling out as many people as they can. It's a cannibalistic society unfortunately.
LSF604 ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:30:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Most of the time its for targeted advertising
phu-q-2 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:49:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
We're saying the same thing. These apps exist to sell people's data.
I don't want every company in the world having all the demographics about me so they can "effectively advertise to me". It's an invasion of privacy. Fuck their advertising needs. I don't want it
Had an app today that requested (logically) location access. I declined. Went into settings, and verified that it was off. Loaded the app. It detected my location. Figured they did that with IP geolocation. So, I fired up my location spoofer. Closed and reopened the app. It detected my "new location" despite not having location access.
So, it doesn't matter what they ask for, or why they say they need it. They'll just obtain it anyway, whether you allow it or not.
ThimeeX ยท 85 points ยท Posted at 22:50:58 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I bought a fancy coffee machine the other day, that uses an app to adjust settings. Said app wants my location? Why? Your purpose in life is to make coffee! I decline the location request but said app proceeds to figure it out anyway, perhaps by IP address geolocation.
Said coffee maker is on its way back to Amazon, no thanks - I don't need yet another data Hoover in my kitchen.
There's some cool ideas that could be done with a coffee machine tied to an app that wants location data. Maybe it could be setup to automatically make you a cup a coffee in the morning if you're at your house, while not doing so if you're away. It could track your coffee drinking habits to provide coffee before you knew you wanted it.
Chances are though, the app does none of that shit and is just gathering your data to sell.
zyhhuhog ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:47:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ThimeeX ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:42:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They had some spiel about using your altitude (probably from current location) to get the right temperature. Or something. They could just let me enter it in the app if I decline to reveal where I live, how many pots of coffee I made each day, and what time I make them.
I ended up replacing it with an "old-school" Technivorm, a coffee machine with an on/off switch and nothing else! Ain't gonna be snitching on my 2am coffee drinking habits now anytime soon....
I was thinking about that feature too, which is still a bullshit reason because an altimeter is probably a lot easier to add and probably cheaper, but doesn't get the company that sweet sweet data mining revenue.
ThimeeX ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 05:39:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
No, it's one of those WiFi devices where you connect to it directly the first time to set up your WiFi credentials, after which it stores them and connects to the internet.
It communicates through mothership central - some service that these guys host: http://dadolabs.com/. So the app doesn't talk to the machine directly, but through a third party host.
I'm pretty sure that these guys collect all sorts of data points (didn't read their EULA / TL), coffee drinking habits would be a nice data point to add to your online profile that they collect for each of us. Bah to that, coffee machine goes right back to Amazon and I write an angry review haha.
"They'll just obtain it anyway, whether you allow it or not."
No, this is just not true and you gave a single counterexample...
Allowing an app to access your location gives the app permission to use the GPS function and find your location using tower and Wifi signals. Preventing an app from using your location only prevents the location from being fed through Android's API, of course it's not going to prevent the app from looking up your IP in a geolocation database. The only way to prevent that is to completely cut the app's internet access.
He said he used a GPS location spoofer and the app picked up on the new GPS coordinates he was feeding it. If the phone was using GeoIP it wouldn't have mattered.
then he should be upset with Android and not the app. I doubt the app has some elite hacker ninja programmer who somehow found a way around Android's security features and is using that new found knowledge to get location data for some cheap app.
Either that or he is lying or confused about what he was spoofing.
radome9 ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:45:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If the app used geolocation it wouldn't have been fooled by a location spoofer. That said I doubt OP's story is true - if the app could circumvent permissions, why bother asking at all?
As we've seen with other apps, sometimes the advertising SDKs that get built into an app don't always have the best intentions. I'm more than willing to admit there could be some mistake on my end, but I duplicated it today with another device. I'm not a security researcher, by any means, so I'd take my story for what it is, anecdotal evidence.
radome9 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:04 on September 6, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's likely using your Wi-Fi SSID. I guarantee you there is a database with the location of your Wi-Fi network in it. I have checked and mine certainly is, and I live in a rural area.
DaJacer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:09:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's not how it works, at least on Android. If my apps don't have permissions for something, they simply cannot access it. It's at the core of Android and no app can get around that programmatically.
iOS, Jailbroken. IHG app. Tested it even on a second device. Without location faker, location access set to "never." It initially detected the correct location- as I would assume it would, geolocation via IP is real. I then turned on the Location Spoofer, placing myself in a completely different country. Closed and re-opened the app, and despite Location set to "never" detected my new location.
Not a security researcher, so take my findings with a grain of doubt. Users can screw up, even more than experts. But it happened. Twice now.
if it makes you feel any better, there has been research done on using cameras to detect tiny vibrations in objects and reverse calculate the soundwaves that would cause that vibration and generate sound from that information. It can use things ranging from leaves to a chip bag to to a pane of glass. They have been able to reconstruct what a person is saying on the opposite side of a soundproof room with a video camera with no audio input.
There are also laser based microphones that reflect lasers off windows which vibrate tiny amounts due to human speech and the deflection angle of the laser is converted back into an audio signal but until our phones start firing out lasers, this won't be an issue.
I refuse to install Snapchat for Android, because it asks for nearly every permission in the book. In fact they are so determined to get all the permissions they continue to compile their app using the outdated "all or nothing" permissions standard, lest some rogue user dare say no to one of them.
Krarl ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:45:03 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I took a look at them and they all seem quite reasonable. Which ones do you have a problem with?
I'm curious about this too. Though it does seem odd.
jtvjan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:52:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I can't even login because I'm rooted and xposed. Not a big deal since I never use it, but it's dumb to not allow it just because the person using it is rooted.
pdxchris ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:18:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And they should have a time machine feature built in that allows you to switch back to a functioning version when an update kills an app.
That's the gamble of turning off auto updates. Then reading the update notes before updating. There are also apps that will back up the install (APK) files for you, for such an event.
at best that would only work for apps that get everything they need locally. otherwise it would be as simple as the host's servers rejecting requests from old versions of the app.
Imagine you have a security flaw in your app that can be exploited to access other user's information. the developer should have the authority to shut that version down.
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 06:43:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
App makers should be required to give a short explanation to app distributors for why they need access to your information. Then the app distributor should write a more honest explanation:
"The makers of this app want to track your preferences and behavior, harvest your email and geographic location, correlate it with other databases, and sell this information to unspecified third parties. This is their business model. The app itself has no realistic need for any of your personal data. Do you want them to fuck off? (y/n)"
I'm a developer. And I'm actually genuinely using all the services I request. Thouse that I'm not are required for Google play services. Mabye I just havent been corrupted by the market yet
Wootery ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:18:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Forcing them to say it would be a big step in the right direction.
In android, you can go into the app permissions and revoke them. Sometimes apps stop working, other times they work fine.
I take notification access away from every single app that I don't need to tell me something (so messaging and email). I take away location access to everything that doesn't need it, and virtually nothing has access to my contacts. I've had an app or two flip out, but unless it has a good reason, like its a text messaging app and so needs contacts, it gets removed immediately. This is my phone, I don't have time to fuck with your shit, stupid app.
Any decently programmed app has to check for errors all the time when trying to access functions. Even just allocating memory for something. So the result would depend on the coding. If the access isn't fundamental to the app, it should be programmed to continue working and maybe throw you an error alert. But if it's very poorly coded it might crash. Or if the developer really wants that access, it would be obvious IF you could block it.
Firefox standardly uses direct uploads from the Camera or Microphone for mediums to upload from, in addition to the normal file browsing app you'll have to upload the PDF from.
Apple does require this for at least location services, each app has to provide a detailed description of what theyโll use your location for under settings>privacy>location services
I'm pretty sure the latest version of Android does that now (or has the capability for tooltips on permissions)
They're not usually that complicated to figure out what they're for tho.
iOS developer here. You HAVE to say something in order to get permissions in apps. Like if an app wants to request permission for the Camera, you have to give something of an explanation to be a subtitle in that message that pops up asking for permission. It won't run otherwise. Can't speak for Android though, they got some weird shit going on in their Play Store
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:08:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
they'd just use bullshit reasons. a game could say they need access to your phonebook so they can enable their fancy-pansy play with friends feature, while in reality they just sell your phonebook to some shady spamming company.
--dawg ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:36:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If they did that, chances are people would stop agreeing.
tomerjm ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:41:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You do know this exist, right? Whenever you download an app from the store it asks for permissions, and displays what ever permission does, and what part of the phone they're using.
They are. Apps can't just grab location from your phone unless they have a justifiable reason to use location data. Apps will get rejected from the app store otherwise.
Itโs not even possible to access the functionality without a permission. And they DO check permission messages all the time.
huntmich ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:34:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
So we can sell the information to nefarious third parties thus allowing you to donwload the app for free.
Remember: if the app isn't the commodity, you are.
trudel69 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 01:10:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Refer to the South Park episode on the EULA (With the CentIpad)
Blork32 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 20:42:01 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That seems like it would only serve to discourage people from installing apps.
LowRune ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 23:14:45 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Well, it would work both ways. An app requires my call information? Not being installed, but then I find out that the call info is being used to pause the game, then I'll probably download.
Which would be bullshit, because the phone tells the app "you are no longer on the screen right now." When you recieve a call or close it down. What it really wants the permission for, we may never know.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:17:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
LowRune ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:37:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Probably, which is why I only download necessary apps or apps with very minimal permissions.
Snaggel ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:47:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The devs could lie and claim all shady permissions are used for good/convenience and before the app is removed from the store, the damage is already done
we all got into various uproars at facebook for taking all our personal data, meanwhile i download a ruler app that demands access to every single aspect of my life stored on my phone.
My phone used to say specifics, such as "BlahApp would like to: *Use your microphone, even when app is not in use. *Take video, even when phone is not in use." Then it updated. It doesn't tell me shit anymore.
jmgs000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:15:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Half don't, they do it and f with your phone
jmgs000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:16:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Like here's a question -why are some flashlight apps over 1 GB!
Racorse ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:02:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why do you have them?
jmgs000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:31:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Oh I don't for that treason
Succubia ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:31:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I had downloaded a game where they actually told me why they wanted to access something.
There's different 'clearance', 'levels' of access, and they needed a single thing from a level that gave them access to some other data from my phone. And they were forced to take that one
I believe there is an Allow and some sort of Decline/Cancel/No Way button. The existence of the second button and its lack of use would seem to contradict your statement.
Man tech support would be called for every dumb bit of info they ask of you. As long as they ask for permission for the camera and location it's ok. Imagine a 50 years old candy crush player ask him to use 50 mb of cache for constant leadboards update. "Customer: Whats this on my candy crush that's taking my memory I just want to play! Tech support guy: its okay this is normal. Cc:then why does it ask me for it? Is my credit card info safe?
You might know how each part of a phone works but that's not the case for most cell phone owners. Only Askin for simple things like location or camera is fine. More educated users always have settings options and hacks.
At first I misread this as "Apple should be required..." and was really confused since, although the default apps don't ask for access permissions, all of Apple's apps are pretty much one function apps. It would be kind of dumb if you needed to approve access to your contacts for the Phone or Contacts app, or if you needed to approve microphone access for the Voice Memos app.
get a google pixel. I've went through things apps requested and denied them when I read something I didn't want to give them access for "making phone calls" for example.
And why they redirect to the App Store. Also need to make locations services only work when using it. The scariest thing are keyboard apps. They can send back all the info you type back to the company. They say it's for spell checking and auto corrects. I honestly don't trust companies and think we are giving away our freedoms with a bow on it.
Sad thing Siri still can't properly get 85% of the stuff I say correct but talks back to me like an asshole while the NSA gets the info a. "Bomb threat" for ask her to "bomb track" by rage. She doesn't pick up southern and Texas draws well. Siri kinda sucks. Wish she sounded like Elizabeth Hurley or weird science girl. Hunter? Forgot her name
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:45:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My mobile data tracker requires VPN and location...? Can someone explain it to me? It sounds really unrelated. The app name is MyDataManager
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It would just be more bullshit that you wouldn't read and would blindly sign anyway.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe read the description and change logs of app updates on the apps page in the store.
unndunn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:47:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
iOS requires this. Every permission an app requests has to come with a short explanation of why it is needed. iOS will automatically make the request, showing the explanation, the first time the app needs it. Apps are not allowed to bombard you with multiple permission requests at the same time.
Apple doesn't let developers get away with bullshit reasons like "to improve your experience" either. Nor are developers allowed to unreasonably block app functionality when a permission request is denied.
Gustace ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:48:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Cause you would trust the explanation ?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:49:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As a Dev, I would love a special spot in the permissions list to do this. Some permissions aren't obvious
Choreboy ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:11:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Can't you list it on your market page?
qdhcjv ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:49:27 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Snapchat, surprisingly, does this. The list is really extensive.
Choreboy ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:11:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Very nice. More apps need to follow this example.
mattcnz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:51:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Android does this at least. The apps I have made all have runtime permissions prompts
It can be done on iOS, some apps do it, some don't, but it will not help. Thankfully now with Android marshmallow or Nougat?, we can ban permissions one by one
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They sometimes do, but it's usually for bullshit reasons
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They sometimes do, but it's usually for bullshit reasons
PDZef ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I think this idea slowly grew into what we now know as the Apple User Agreement. They know that nobody outside of class action lawyers are going to read that crap. Sadly, it's probably better this way.
AppDev here!
I'd love to explain you that I need Internet access to connect to our API and the reason I am asking for information about your network is, that I am checking whether or not you are on mobile data to minimize the download of data through my app..
However Google and Apple do not want customized texts on OS level.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:04:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
To track your habits in order to sell you more shit or for any other nefarious reason that could lead to deeper penetration. I thought this was obvious AF. Am I just cynical?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:04:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Simmenfl ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:15:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This will probably get buried because Im too late but basically this is already encouraged, at least for iOS. As app developers we only get to ask once for permission and once it's declined, we can not ask again. Then we have to direct users into the settings which is messy and confusing.
Hence it makes a lot of sense to provide an explanation on why you need the permission, BEFORE you actually ask for it, so to make sure you actually use the one shot you have for this. So in our case we build in our own dialogue that explains why and only once you agree we will trigger the systems dialogue.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:16:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
no one would read them
g0atmeal ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:19:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I would gladly pay good money to get the same apps but without any permissions asked of me, and no shenanigans.
Just do what the app says it is supposed to do.
As far as I know, they do. However they just lie and make up stuff. A better idea would be to require all advertisers/apps to make their location/age /full name etc available. Plus they have to say how many times they accessed the information and for how long. The address of their business and all the parent companies etc. You can get partial bits of that anyway but it needs to be joined together so you can see patterns in behaviour.
Qf3ck3r ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Although I partially agree, that is not a realistic expectation. For example snapchat wants access to your camera and you say no. How are you planning to send your selfies to the whole world? Its impossible without the camera.
right, but anything else it does should work fine. Snapchat is certainly not a great example, although... can it send local phone images? Then that should still work without the camera.
right, but anything else it does should work fine. Snapchat is certainly not a great example, although... can it send local phone images? Then that should still work without the camera.
They do! In iOS at least it is required to give an explanation for every privacy access, such as photos etc. without doing this, iOS simply rejects the app entirely and crashes. But Apple canโt check every single message detail after the app is shipped so developers put whatever they feel like.
NearPup ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:32:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
For the app I used to work on, it was both "we need this information to function and we need it to make money from ads".
From a development perspective: we'd love to. Then we're spanked with UI requirements (must be no more than 10 chars or some crap), lack of granularity in permissions and annoying App Store reviews where they clearly don't have the smallest clue what they're looking at.
For example: I don't give a shit where you are until you try and do a location based search at the moment you hit 'search' without an address. My options are: all the time, or 'I've asked for your location once, therefore give it to me forever!'
Worse, you have asshats doing deeply shady shit that make everyone else look bad. I really don't want to cross-correlate your Wifi APs with your porn habits- but someone did, and now we're all tarred with the same brush.
Jeflux ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:43:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And let's not forget that you need location permission to use Bluetooth on Android M and up, just because of some stupid Google beacon experiment thing
They can't though. They can tell you why, but the thing is, if an app has microphone permissions, they have microphone permissions, regardless of what they say they're for.
If you don't trust an app, don't use it. Because it likely is doing data mining.
If you email the contact email that most apps have they will usually answer you to why they need them. But in my experience all the answers sounded normal but there is no way to ever know if they are telling the truth.
TroyKing ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:05:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You yourself can implement this. If the app doesn't tell you, don't install it. I'm not kidding or being flippant about it. Take your privacy seriously if it bothers you.
It boggles my fucking mind that people don't actively demand this -- at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I've heard multiple reports of users suspecting certain apps of actually recording their conversations (couch facebook...)
Seriously, why the fuck do they need access to my camera and microphone if I don't even need to take pictures? Why aren't we asking any questions about this?
A lot of iPhone apps do this these days, where itโll mention that a certain permission box is about to show up. You can then choose to accept that particular permission or not.
I wish Apple would crack down on apps hard. Like Spotify with their bullshit update reasons. I'm looking at alternatives but Pandora just closed down here.
Rondaru ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:26:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"You can't handle the truth."
calcjosh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:27:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
While iOS has improved in this respect, if they did what they would do if they cared about our privacy, they'd lose a lot of money. Apps like the flashlight apps that ask for camera/picture/location access would have to justify the reason, but clearly there's no benign explanation: that'd limit the number of successful apps and thus, virtually tax-free dough from Apple's pockets.
Saved comment
JM-Lemmi ยท 5492 points ยท Posted at 19:45:43 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"to function better and increase user convenience"
CreepingFog ยท 2834 points ยท Posted at 22:12:16 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"To enhance user experience"
matrixkid29 ยท 1126 points ยท Posted at 00:56:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"Quick! Someone enhance that users experience!"
Kvothealar ยท 170 points ยท Posted at 03:27:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ENHANCE
Dysthymike ยท 93 points ยท Posted at 04:42:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ENHANCE
HawkinsT ยท 58 points ยท Posted at 05:43:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ENHANCE
biznatch11 ยท 56 points ยท Posted at 05:50:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ENHANCE
TIGHazard ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 07:45:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ENHANCE
HitlersaurusChrist11 ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 08:22:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's all the resolution we have.
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 08:20:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Just print the damn thing!
vanjavk ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 08:30:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ENHANCE
Hollowquincypl ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:28:10 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I can't believe this one was so far in.
radical_haqer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:36:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Enhance enhance
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:21:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Zoom in more and enhance and rotate the camera angle by 50ยฐ.
vatomalo ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 05:46:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Curb His Enhancement!
Torquebeau ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:19:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Im scared
IM_NOT_CIA ยท 141 points ยท Posted at 03:20:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'll use visual basic
wundrwweapon ยท 65 points ยท Posted at 03:44:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's not used for enhancing anything
Lithobreaking ยท 62 points ยท Posted at 03:55:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If anything, it would dehance.
jarious ยท 30 points ยท Posted at 04:16:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Worsthance?
Lithobreaking ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 04:18:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Beethance
Lithobreaking ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:18:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'm leaving it.
StrangeDrivenAxMan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:50:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Over and out.
Gestrid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:15:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Behance?
IM_NOT_CIA ยท 20 points ยท Posted at 04:16:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
So I'll create a GUI interface
CrossSlashEx ยท 21 points ยท Posted at 04:24:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Who did you murder to get that name?
EngineerinLA ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 05:12:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Wouldn't you like to know...
hgoel0974 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:06:33 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Looks like it has an NVIDIA graphics chip, this can definitely handle this VB GUI...
RoyalYoshi ยท 23 points ยท Posted at 04:07:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"Only if we have his location and camera roll"
twelveparsex ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:23:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Not without access to your photo library and your contacts list
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:24:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Someone should really make an Enhance bot
jul2040 ยท 72 points ยท Posted at 00:03:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
pandadream ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 02:53:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah hate how you see a million allow to access but get do sick of them you just hit next
doctorwhovian2 ยท 53 points ยท Posted at 03:52:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
happysmash27 ยท 35 points ยท Posted at 04:05:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks, now I can actually understand what they were trying to say.
doctorwhovian2 ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 04:51:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, I was clueless too. Hence this comment; I wasn't just trying to be a cunt.
CabbagePastrami ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:48:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'm still amazed you managed to decipher what he was trying to say.
pandadream ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:29:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Sucks
tomyanks ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:08:33 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The comma belongs inside the quotation marks.
doctorwhovian2 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:51:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Not in my country
Dreadedsemi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:21:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"To help us sell your information."
Testastic ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:24:24 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Zoom and enhance!
chiefmackdaddypuff ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:55:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/KiqkclCJsZs
golemsheppard2 ยท 379 points ยท Posted at 00:49:18 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I had an app tell me that it needed authorization to my keyboard and any information that had ever been typed to "ensure an adequate customer experience". Definitely the quickest install to deletion time right there.
Alectrosaurus59 ยท 202 points ยท Posted at 04:02:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yea I've had several apps say )hey I need your location at any and all times!" And I'm like "bitch your a fart/air horn button, dufuq u need that for??"
FuzzyMcLumkins ยท 84 points ยท Posted at 04:10:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'd assume that's for ads though.
Alectrosaurus59 ยท 59 points ยท Posted at 04:11:56 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yea I guess that makes sense but i always hit deny and 9/10 times the app doesn't have a problem with it. Rarely it will say the app won't work without it.
Rdtr_of_unusual_size ยท 24 points ยท Posted at 04:59:56 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Santander was the first I came across. They wanted location and camera to even download (or maybe login). I hit them up on twitter and they cited their branch locator and photo check deposit. Fine, Whatever
ThellraAK ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 06:16:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
At least on lollipop it asks you when the app wants it, so you can go to permissions and revoke it and it should be fine.
uncertainusurper ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:45:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
So what. You cool with that?
FuzzyMcLumkins ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:48:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Nah, just putting my assumption that's probably why they request location services.
uncertainusurper ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:57:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck those fucking fuckers. I donโt need fine tuned advertisements.
FuzzyMcLumkins ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:02:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Agreed my man.
uncertainusurper ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:45:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My man.
jakecontra ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:35:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Lookin' Good!
NoobInGame ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:48:56 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
On the other hand, how much would you be willing to pay to advertise your restaurant without location data? Fine tuned ads are much more effective in other ways too.
I would rather see ads for computer/server hardware, software and game trailers vs beauty, health and fitness products.
Note that I don't necessarily advocate these things.
EchinusRosso ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:05:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'm kinda okay with that. If I have to have an ad, may as well be for something I might want
Rarus ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:08:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Weird that that's some how some kind of justification for giving someone your 24/7 location. 10-15 years ago that would be an insane statement.
ako_si_gorio ยท 38 points ยท Posted at 02:41:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
which app?
golemsheppard2 ยท 66 points ยท Posted at 02:47:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Quidd or Quipp or whatever that sticker messaging app is called.
LeviAEthan512 ยท 25 points ยท Posted at 03:21:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
How would it find what you'd typed before? Is there a way to access that information yourself?
LativianHeat ยท 38 points ยท Posted at 03:24:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I assume from things like improving autocorrect and the word guessing feature are saved by the keyboard
gizamo ยท 23 points ยท Posted at 04:03:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It could also scan existing texts messages.
Some apps do that to provide a .txt file that you can print (useful for court, where phones usually are not be allowed).
waiting4singularity ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
guess what i disable first one a fresh install.
thetravelingchemist ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:58:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It would just download your autocorrect dictionary
pretend7979 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 05:10:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I don't want to sound like a dick... Actually I do.. but what part of that doesn't make sense to you? You mean a messaging app needs access to your keyboard?! Crazy! And it needs access to... Messages!!? That's just absurd!
golemsheppard2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:56:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Because the app basically just lets you add stickers into your iMessages. There are two ways to do it. The first way and the way that the app heavily encourages is for you to give it unfettered access to your keyboard and all information that has ever been typed, including any naughty comments you may have sent your wife or any financial info you may have texted. The second way is to just manually enable it through the "App Store" icon on your messaging screen, which gives the app no access to your information. The fact that the app tries to back you into a compromising situation and then throws you a generic excuse for why it's necessary is problematic to me.
life_rocks ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 03:43:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You dodged a bullet.
Silver5005 ยท -3 points ยท Posted at 04:12:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
lol yea they were probably going to ruin his life knowing he sometimes uses the wrong 'their'.
You people are funny.
life_rocks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:39:24 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Kbd access mean all your passwords will eventually be for sale in bulk. You may not make the connection to that app you downloaded, but a kbd sniffer is bad news.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Your stock keyboard does the same thing.
pretend7979 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:11:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Literally every app that uses the keyboard does the same thing.
JM-Lemmi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:55:04 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The problem is tho. Sometimes you really need the apps function, so you have to give in to the data mining.
Look at Android 6, where they introduced the possibility to block apps from certain authorizations. Now the apps check authorization at startup and won't start unless you give them the rights they want. cough Snapchat cough
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:08:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
golemsheppard2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:58:24 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's supported by in app purchases. I'm ok with that. I'm not ok with the prospect of selling off my personal information like private conversations with the wife or anything financial that I may have texted.
diableslayer372 ยท 29 points ยท Posted at 03:29:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"To make the world a better place"
_Dopinder ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:34:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"I don't know about you people, but I don't wanna live in a world where someone else makes the world a better place... better than we do."
[deleted] ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 03:56:51 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
this guy marketings
BruvvaPete ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:31:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Welcome to
blackberry. Oh. Wait...JM-Lemmi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:55:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah well android has it too. It's just bypassed by developers now. So yeah
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:14:37 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
For some reason I read everything here to Team Rocket's song.
kaze0 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:36:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If you can't trust them without an explanation why can you trust them with one.
MeMuzzta ยท 3474 points ยท Posted at 21:50:38 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
'War of clash throne kings would like access to your:
Contacts
Camera
Phone
Email
Microphone
Dental Records
Bank Details
Place of Birth
Last Bowel Movement
So we can personalise your experience
Eunitnoc ยท 1431 points ยท Posted at 21:58:17 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Oh I know that game, It's the one with a screaming guy in it's logo right?
SittingOnThem ยท 1097 points ยท Posted at 00:00:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Sounds about right
kurai772 ยท 414 points ยท Posted at 00:18:04 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Voice_Of_Sad_Truths ยท 267 points ยท Posted at 02:53:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
kurai772 ยท 90 points ยท Posted at 03:01:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
grandboyman ยท 44 points ยท Posted at 04:38:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck that, fuck you?
Ninjabassist777 ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 06:43:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Actually, it's "Fixed That For You", but either works, depending on whether or not you'd like to think everyone is swearing at each other.
IMPERIALITY ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 08:27:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Shouldnt it be Fixed It For You?
Paradoxic_Mouse ยท 47 points ยท Posted at 04:00:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
kurai772 ยท 39 points ยท Posted at 04:04:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
broots1 ยท 30 points ยท Posted at 04:14:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
What does FTFY mean?
_Dopinder ยท 189 points ยท Posted at 04:28:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck this fuck you
Gamerred101 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:28:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
When I first started using Reddit and I didn't know what it meant, until I finally browsed someone who explained I gave it my best guess of "fuck that fuck you"
iwantogofishing ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:49:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Did it not occur to you to look it up?
Gamerred101 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:51:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It did. I'm just a lazy person and didn't care that much either when I first joined.
mua_boka ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:14:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
hahah this was me too until few months ago.. it was almost a yeqr after I started reddit i realised it wasnt fuck that fuck you
DoctorPrower ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:03:38 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Fixed that fuck you
BillyQ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:18:54 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck everyone!
Gcarsk ยท 78 points ยท Posted at 04:16:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"Fixed That For You"
OddlyCalmOrca ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Gcarsk ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
How do you quote a comment? Is it possible on mobile?
jorgomli ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:37:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You use the greater-than bracket (>) before the text.
Gcarsk ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:38:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
emptyzombiekilla ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:30:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I thought it meant "First Time First Year" TIL
Olkrago ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 04:16:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
fixed that for you
Merouxsis ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 04:17:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
BlowsDeadBears ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:13:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Find The Frozen Yogurt
dahanger ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:15:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
Fangore ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:58:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
For the future you
zyhhuhog ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Fix that for you
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:47:18 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck that fuck you
meee39 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:52:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Continues chain
MinoTux ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:25:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Every mobile game ever*
vaper_22 ยท 61 points ยท Posted at 22:05:59 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah
crealol2 ยท 126 points ยท Posted at 01:28:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Wasn't this the logo?
BlinksTale ยท 169 points ยท Posted at 03:44:56 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yep
moldykobold ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 03:46:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
To the top!
Gcarsk ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:22:03 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You make this? You should definitely make a post of your own so it gets more views(even though it is a shitpost)
BlinksTale ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:22:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Appreciate it, but unless that stock photo is known outside of this post, it's doing its job to the best right here
crealol2 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 09:59:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Definitely better than Guns Of Boom. Like, seriously? GUNS OF BOOM!? 0 stars gob, 23 stars battle of war
Also would give reddit silver.
meee39 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:54:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
o_bappy ยท 21 points ยท Posted at 03:41:56 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, the one with Kate Upton in the ads
brando56894 ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:17:10 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Probably one of the main reason why it became so popular.
HMJ87 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:00:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
brando56894 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:57:18 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I know that's a joke, but this is an interesting read: https://levelskip.com/misc/Skinners-Box-and-Video-Games
I read it years ago on Cracked and was like "Holy shit, that's pretty messed up" haha
HMJ87 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 08:01:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah skinner box mechanics have been a thing in video games (and gambling; slot machines are basically human skinner boxes) for a long time, but with the rise of freemium gaming they've really ramped it up massively
brando56894 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 09:03:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yep, the article I read specifically referenced World of Warcraft. I first learned about the Skinner Box itself in either one of my college science classes or in a Psychology class.
HMJ87 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 09:10:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I was thinking this morning about World of Warcraft and how they actively discouraged (and banned people for) buying gold with real money. Nowadays games are actually building that system into their games intentionally and building mechanics around trying to make the game borderline unplayable without purchasing premium currency, and sadly it's not confined to free-to-play games.
brando56894 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 10:07:41 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Absolutely. I was looking for free to play web games once because my job at the time was extremely boring and found a game called "WarHammer" or something like that, that was like Command and Conquer but once you leveled up like 3 times it would take hours for stuff to be built, but of course you could buy stuff to instantly complete the build time. By like level 10 it would get to the point where I could literally only play for like 10 minutes before I just had to wait for hours until stuff finished building and then I could play for another 10 minutes. I complained on their forums and pretty much got laughed off because some people were like level 40 and they said they would have to wait a month or two for some of their things to be built! At that point I stopped playing the game because it was clearly a money making scheme.
sap91 ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 04:02:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Is it the one with Kate Upton's boobs?
KazzyKatalyst ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 04:47:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As someone who has the job to design these logos... We are dictated by literal studies and tests done on the current market by clicks. The winning clicks are almost always of the following: screaming man, hot chick, flames, dragons, or a cute animal. Fyi, conbo of all had Bentn suggested many times. You are not a genius.
Yankeedude252 ยท 23 points ยท Posted at 05:10:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I purposely avoid anything that looks like it was designed to draw in idiots.
Like all of those things.
Also, the way every single mobile game is fucking "War of Dragons" or "Clan Wars" or "Dungeon Clan Wars" or something extremely similar. Fuck all those games simply for using the laziest and most obviously clickbait-y titles.
Also, if I see an ad more than once, you'd better believe I will never play that game. If I wanted it, I would have downloaded it the first time. More ads just pisses me off and makes me want to go leave a shit review even though I'd never consider actually trying the game.
Mobile gaming blows.
Quick edit since you probably have some contact with the right people: I would pay upwards of $10 for a truly quality, original mobile game with no ads or pay-to-win. I live on the road so I do a lot of mobile gaming, but I'm so sick of the same old bullshit. Somebody needs to make a good game and just charge for the game itself rather than making it impossible to enjoy.
Artorias_Abyss ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 05:48:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe it's just nostalgia but I recall there were quite a lot of quality games when mobile gaming starting gaining traction, back around 2010. It didn't take long after that until the market was flooded with freemium games though.
King_Khoma ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 08:00:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Has anybody noticed mobile game ads that are literally just using PC gameplay as their ads? I saw one where it was just a youtube video of a modded in A-10 in a ww2 pacific theater naval game and they tried to pass it off as their mobile game. Or the one where it was just world of warcraft.
kakemot ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:58:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Hey guys!!! Look! This guy on the internet wants to pay $10 for a game on the app store, let's make it!
Yankeedude252 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:47:33 on September 7, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I highly doubt I'm the only one.
Stealthy_Bird ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 08:53:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Mobile gaming is truly the cancer of gaming
Kra1den ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 10:41:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I feel your pain. There is some stuff out there that doesn't suck if you're into nostalgia though
Square Enix have put a lot of their older titles up
Rockstar ditto
Rollercoaster Tycoon is my jam. I loved this game so much as a kid. I'm really glad this exists.
A bards tale I found the controls a bit weird, but playable
Harvest Moon: Seed Not the best harvest moon ever, but not fucking Farmville.
Prison Architect not nostalgia, but totally worth a look.
Yankeedude252 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:43:10 on September 7, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Holy shit, I had no idea these existed. Thank you.
dooffie66 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:13:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If you your self could dictate what genre of mobile game which would you choose?
Yankeedude252 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:50:25 on September 7, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Sports. I play MLB 9 Innings 17, and it's fun as a knockoff MLB: The Show, but it's still very basic and begs me for money at every turn. It's possible to advance without spending money, but it takes a ton of dedication. I'm still playing it, though.
Sports would be tough to pull off on mobile because of graphics, I think. I wouldn't mind good RPGs. Another redditor just showed me that some of the old Final Fantasy games are now on mobile, so I'll be buying a couple of those.
Drycee ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:08:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Funny enough, just yesterday I browsed through the appstore for a while looking for a game, and didnt even look at your mentioned logos. Either they don't stand out because they all look the same so I don't even see them in the masses, or it just has the negative reputation of being a cash-grab clone, be it true or not.
It's not even a conscious boycott or anything. If the game was good I'd still play it. But I don't even really notice or consider them anymore. It's like if you get a shady pop-up on some website. The product might be good, but the way it advertises has a scam-y reputation so I don't even look at it.
KazzyKatalyst ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:03:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I am the exact same. I don't know if it's because I am aware of the typical market response or what, but as an artist who wants to do unique art, it's highly depressing to be told after a series of tests "the lowest common denominator has spoken. MORE ANGRY MEN AND TITS."
fotomoose ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:14:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That must be why Fifa games are so popular.
Sikh_pun ยท 257 points ยท Posted at 22:05:37 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"It's about time for another bowel movement. Defeat your enemy and remove him from his throne while you sit on yours!"
dorkmax ยท 74 points ยท Posted at 04:06:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If a game notified me like that I'd pay.
EducatedMouse ยท 21 points ยท Posted at 03:52:04 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I laughed way too hard at this
Dankelweisser ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:21:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Sounds... Pretty messy for the enemy
kastid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:28:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
In wow that would have been an ability with a special cool down named "force of nature": the power to save Ragnaros.
Systemic_Chaos ยท 60 points ยท Posted at 02:59:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"Last bowel movement"
In their defense, the games are already shit, they just want a personal metric to maintain consistency.
tenkindsofpeople ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 03:50:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They need more fiber
KUSH_PWNER ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Colonblow. (Snl)
kingofthediamond ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:46:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Extra bonus levels while you poop?
jagerbutt ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:34:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
No... That's when you buy bonus content...
pnt700 ยท 65 points ยท Posted at 23:48:42 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I hate it, but there may be a reason apps do this: the default setting in Android is to not auto-update if new permissions are asked. So, if you ask all possible permissions at the start, you don't worry about many users staying behind.
Not sure about the numbers, but I heard the theory and seems logical, although still douchy.
[deleted] ยท 77 points ยท Posted at 23:52:58 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Sometimes it's also entirely from the ad library. So that innocent calculator or notepad developer doesn't explicitly add gazillion of permissions, but the ad library use/planning to use them
life_rocks ยท 21 points ยท Posted at 03:42:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes but the dev is still responsible.
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:30:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
NoobInGame ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:53:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes. That developer could start using them in later updates without telling you. He is just pointing out that the reason why every app with ads requires location data etc. is due to ad network.
happysmash27 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:10:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
A simple calculator or notepad probably shouldn't have adsโฆ
novinicus ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 04:15:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Are you going to pay for it then?
happysmash27 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 06:14:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I would just use another calculator or notepad, plenty of which exist. Why would I pay or have ads when I can use a free app without ads?
sleep-apnea11 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:22:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why would I pay for another persons work?
happysmash27 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 06:50:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I never suggested you should, and the developers don't either based on the lack of a donation link.
mattyyt ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 06:47:10 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's a calculator, the most basic thing going. When teaching kids to code it's the second thing that they'll make
Jostain ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:53:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe I want apps that are not school projects that they put in a store. I want apps that a professional worked full time on. People keep complaining that things are bad but wont pay for them. Maybe MTV would be a good channel if people payed for music. Maybe news wouldn't be fake if people payed for news papers. Maybe, just maybe we could have an appstore that isn't a dumpster fire if people payed for well made apps.
wolfram alpha is a really good calculator for example. No ads and it has great functions.
That's because I payed them to make it. Pay people to work and they will do it like its their job.
Edit: I stand by my ignorance of how to properly spell paid!
paulie_roon ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 09:04:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Do you mean a scientific calculator? Because surely most phones have a built-in calculator that will work for most cases.
P.S. "Paid" is the form of the verb that you want here, not payed!
KUSH_PWNER ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:16:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Devs gotta make a living
lkjasdfou ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:56:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I always find it interesting. I just started learning android development nanodegree and basic calculator or stopwatch is very easy to do, yet it needs shitload of ads and horrible UI to exist.
On the other hand you have Ubuntu, you have torrent downloaders, you have such complex programs for PCs which dont have ads, dont track data yet they are free.
How does this happen?
How does python happen? Python is far more complex than a basic calculator.
BlueAdmir ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 05:27:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Those are made to make a living
Those are results of hobby and passion
lkjasdfou ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:32:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As you said. Devs need to make a living. So why dont those on ubuntu have to make a living while a simple calc app that takes less than a week for a complete beginner has to be filled with ads.
BlueAdmir ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:35:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Because they probably have a full time job and writing YetAnotherTorrentManager is a side project.
lkjasdfou ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:38:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
So why isnt it the same for simple apps?
Why can I go online and search for a program and get one for free, without ads (like GIMP), but if I want even the most basic of mobile apps basically all will be filled with ads. No one has mobile apps as their side project?
ACCount82 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:14:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
For Apple, a big part of this is the yearly cost of dev license and hardware required to develop for Apple. People who get into iOS development plan to profit from it.
Android is a lot better in this: "dev license" is not even a thing, SDK is free, every phone can run sideloaded apps and every PC works as a dev platform. You only need to pay ~$20 once if you want to use Google Play, and there are a lot of programs that distribute outside of it.
Fishnchips2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:07:33 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's far easier to put ads in android apps because google already provided the framework, so most devs can't resist it. With things like Ubuntu they're not part of Google so can't use Google's ad base and it's too much work to put their own ads in.
NoobInGame ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:03:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Most of the time there are free(including ad free) alternatives.
I think a lot of differences you are pointing out are due to nature and maturity of the platform.
PrethorynSwarm ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:57:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
A computer is nothing more than a device that makes calculations, to make an app that makes calculations is one of the easiest things to do. In fact I made a calculator application myself during college. So any decent dev could make a calculator app in a day or two.
Only if they add scientific calculations or complex math shit would it take more time.
Same for a notepad app that just saves plain text to a file without fancy formatting or whatever.
So no, they shouldn't need access to all my personal information, nor should I have to pay for it.
Uteiku ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:29:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If the dev wants to make some money from their super-simple app they either have to charge for it or show ads. If they choose ads (pretty logical as it likely means more downloads), they will probably use an ad library, and that is where much of the permissions crap comes from. I'm not saying it's OK, I'm just explaining why it happens.
Tamale-Pie ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:28:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Would you work for two days for free? I'm sure your employer would appreciate that.
JulioCesarSalad ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:53:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why do android users need more than one calculator or notepad?
TIGHazard ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:57:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I assume the calculator is to do more complex functions that may not be in the default one. The notepad I am not sure about though.
vampyrita ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:35:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You can turn off individual permissions for any app though. If the whole app shuts down if you don't give it your constant location, it's not worth using.
waiting4singularity ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:16:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
yes, but doesnt change the fact it's bad design.
whenever an app requires shit like that at startup, I'll go back to settings and remove the permissions. either it runs with that, asks again (no!) or goes straight to ๐๏ธ
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:31:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[removed]
jagerbutt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:32:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I mean that you clean things like a welcomed shower
VictoriqueIbara ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:41:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If an app is free then you are the product.
elushinz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:20:51 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's so cute how you can download games and not think they have other ideas for your info
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:46:38 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Makes the matches go on longer while taking a dump
vintagefancollector ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 02:15:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
last bowel movement
Grolschisgood ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 02:58:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Currently in progress
KUSH_PWNER ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:18:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
So you live in the future??
wwwhistler ยท 331 points ยท Posted at 03:48:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"why does the flashlight app need access to my contacts?"
zyhhuhog ยท 181 points ยท Posted at 04:52:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
To bring them the light /s
monzzter221 ยท 57 points ยท Posted at 05:05:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"Get flashlight pro and see no more ads! Tell 5 friends about flashlight and get flashlight pro for free!!!"
Robert_Jarman ยท 25 points ยท Posted at 05:46:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Isn't that a pyramid scheme? You'd run out of people in that model in less than 14 forwards.
niankaki ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 07:09:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This guy watches Last Week Tonight.
Robert_Jarman ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 07:31:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why yes, yes I do watch it (Phineas and Fern reference too from my childhood).
danillonunes ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 07:20:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Nobody said you canโt invite people who already have it.
Kuronan ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:02:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Assuming you all had the same number of people forward, yes.
sentinel_deco ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 06:16:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
to enlighten your friends
creative_overnight ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 08:25:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My Guess: It doesn't but, it probably does need access to read phone call state. Why? So that it can turn off the flashlight when you receive a call which kinda makes sense. Source: Am app developer
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:42:51 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
creative_overnight ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 09:25:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
No I haven't considered how dangerous that could be in an emergency situation mainly because I'm not THE app developer. I'm A app developer.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:31:58 on September 6, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You mean to tell me you don't speak for all app developers? I'm disappointed.
Fellhuhn ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:26:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY
ashiax ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:06:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You fixed nothing.
Fellhuhn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:10:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Don't assume my acronyms!
Fellhuhn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:11:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Don't assume my acronyms!
ulyssessword ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:28:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
How else would the light get to your eyes? Glasses?
Goranim ยท 899 points ยท Posted at 21:07:25 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"I don't know how to turn off this requirement so I left it in the app"
hexafraction ยท 277 points ยท Posted at 00:29:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's not that hard, at least for Android. If a dev can't remove an entry from the manifest and refactor out the few situations that now throw errors due to the missing permission, you shouldn't trust their code to do much else.
sticky-buns ยท 128 points ยท Posted at 03:56:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes but users are dumb. Remember that you're talking about people who will click a button just to make the annoying box go away, without having any idea whatsoever what it said.
CobaltFrost ยท 149 points ยท Posted at 04:18:33 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I hate it when they punish smart users. Like usually I'm fine with using my Facebook to login to things because I can decline sharing any info with them, but some apps have started not allowing you to login without having access to shit like your birthday. I'm sure you'd love to wish me a happy birthday, Soundcloud, but frankly could you please fuck off?
intotheirishole ยท 50 points ยท Posted at 05:45:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Hello, fellow internet user whose birthday is also 1 Jan.
ultranoobian ยท 30 points ยท Posted at 06:35:03 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
1970? Hell yeah brother!
-Mikee ยท 32 points ยท Posted at 06:52:18 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
January 1st, 1970.
The day the universe was created.
[deleted] ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 05:19:18 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Birthdays are usually required on apps with age limits
pug_grama2 ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 06:22:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Just make up a fake birthday.
Utkar22 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:29:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Do people actually use their real birthdays?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:46:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Eh depends. It's about 50/50 for me. If it's an account I care about and trust reasonably well like Google or Facebook then yes. If it's a piece of shit account I'm using just to access the rest of this stupid fucking Quora page then no.
Utkar22 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:30:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Doesn't quora use Facebook account?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:32:26 on September 6, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You can also sign up with a regular email.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:37:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:15:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Oh okay
[deleted] ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 05:30:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
jtvjan ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 06:47:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It would be cool if rooting was an option in developer settings. It would send a message back to the manufacturer to void your software warranty, but users wouldn't have to go through too much trouble to root their device.
K900_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:47:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's what it already is, effectively, on many devices, except it's done at bootloader level, and instead of just allowing root it wipes the device and blows a hardware fuse for security reasons.
jtvjan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:36:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I know, but that, flashing TWRP, and flashing SuperSU is hard for users.
Shpitzick ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:25:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That'd be too dangerous. As much as I love the cool tweaks you can do with it, rooting should honestly be left for power users who are willing and capable of going through the whole procedure. It just... Opens up so much room for malicious apps to ever be a good idea
scorpionma ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:27:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Then again you see a lot of people posting a photo of an app requirements saying " PROOF THIS APP IS ACTIVATING YOUR CAMERA WITHOUT PERMISSION , WAKE UP!".
when the app only have a "capture profile photo" option.
Yes, the app might be stealing info, but this is not proof, it's like sending someone to jail because he could have been in the crime scene
Aistar ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:52:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And then you add a 3rd-party library, and suddenly, your app needs all permissions in the world and crash if user fails to grant them (see: every damned ad network SDK).
tailsuser606 ยท 47 points ยท Posted at 21:09:44 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Probably this.
TimmyTesticles ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 01:43:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I agree with this guy who agrees with that guy
life_rocks ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 03:43:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"and then I wonder why my app gets reported"
zyhhuhog ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:19:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"all I'm trying to do is to enhance user experience"
koolex ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:52:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
No It's probably ad networks. They would love to track everything about a user in their third party libraries and if you don't push back or you use the sleazier sdks they will for sure cause your app to require stupid unnecessary privileges.
dalakkin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:17:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Or: "Maybe this permission will be useful in the future, I might add calendar functionality at some point."
unndunn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:00:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I had one of these in my iOS app. For some reason, App Store review detected that my app requests access to your Calendar even though I never coded it in. Probably a third-party library I'm using.
Anyway, I had to give an explanation, so I just said "I don't need access to your Calendar. Feel free to deny this permission request." That got it through review.
toe_the_unstubber ยท 133 points ยท Posted at 00:38:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Apple and Google tell app developers the same thing.
[deleted] ยท 56 points ยท Posted at 04:00:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Tell that to Google Play services. They have ALL my permissions on and won't run without them.
brendan09 ยท 77 points ยท Posted at 04:18:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Not sure how familiar with Android dev you are, but Play Services is more of an API framework than a background โserviceโ that does Play Store related things. It does do some Play Store stuff, but it does so much more that most Android apps canโt run without it installed.
Pretty much every Android app uses Play Services in its app, from UI to many system features. Play Services is Googleโs hack at adding new APIs and SDK features without requiring manufacturers to ship Android updates. It has to have all permissions so that it can expose these APIs to apps using Play Services APIs. This still requires the apps themselves to get permission, but Play Services needs them by design.
[deleted] ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:52:28 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
More like it's a way for Google to slowly make more and more of Android closed source and proprietary
brendan09 ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:57:37 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Also true.
white_android ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:01:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Open source with a closed door that is unlocked.
quido3 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:06:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And this is currently enforced too. There are some permissions that can't 'just be' in the app, but need to be asked at the time of use. Atleast on the newest Android versions.
iynque ยท 482 points ยท Posted at 22:27:58 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
A lot of iOS apps do this. You get a little pop up explaining why it needs a given permission, then if you say 'OK' (or whatever) the OS-level "can I have permission?" dialogue comes up. In more recent updates, I think the app can even send a brief explanation to appear right on the OS-level dialogue.
Most apps don't bother, but many do explain what it's for first. โฆand I've never personally seen something so vague as "to improve user experience," but I'm sure it exists.
blehmeh98 ยท 215 points ยท Posted at 01:55:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Even then, in IOS, it doesn't ask for permission when it installs the app but instead asks for permission when you first need it. So, if you click a button and it suddenly wants to see your photo library, you have a clue as to why regardless of whether there's an explanation or not.
On the other hand, if you're not doing much and it suddenly wants something weird like your contacts despite not doing anything to give it a good reason, you can tell it's not trustworthy.
The funny thing is, Android should need that permission more than anything else because the Apple App Store is screen really well and thus probably doesn't need to ask for permission carefully whereas the Google Play Store is easier for malicious developers to get into.
slightly_salty ยท 114 points ยท Posted at 02:38:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The funny thing is android has done this since 6.0
ertebolle ยท 80 points ยท Posted at 03:52:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Which is fantastic news for the 45.8% of Android users who have that 2-year-old update (or a newer one).
slightly_salty ยท 55 points ยท Posted at 04:10:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As a 45.8%er, I do not associate myself with such plebeians who do not have granular control of permissions.
Uraniu ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:34:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Then you also have to account for apps that still don't use the newer permission system and possibly never will.
blehmeh98 ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 02:52:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Really? Sweet.
Sorry if I present outdated info. I haven't had an android phone for a while, I think the latest version I've used was 5.something.
Secretss ยท 15 points ยท Posted at 03:39:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Doesn't Android still ask for all permissions upon installation? It doesn't let you pick and choose the what permissions to give either.
On iOS the permissions prompt doesn't come up until you're in the app and have tapped on something that needs it. If you download a camera app, it's not going to ask for access to camera until you launch the app, and it's not going to ask for photo library until you tap on the app's album icon, and same for microphone until you switch to the video function in the camera.
I'm curious exactly how Android's permissions requisition has evolved to date.
Clockwork_Octopus ยท 31 points ยท Posted at 03:46:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As long as the app's specified for 6.0 and above, it works the same. Unfortunately, a lot of apps just ignore this, and Google doesn't do much about it.
vinng86 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 06:27:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They can't make use of newer APIs if they build against an older version of the android SDK though. Eventually they will have to build towards a later SDK soon or later or they'll be obsolete.
waiting4singularity ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:20:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
really a mixed bag right now. some permissions are verified on install or update, others when the app starts the action associated (like loading a video file from storage for the intro).
Too bad that it's widely generalized, since the popup speaks of photos, music and shit instead of just showing the path the app tries to access.
(still on marshmellow, is a niche phone).
badvok666 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:20:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Android permissions should pop up as and when they are requried now and not upon installation
B_Rad15 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:44:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Nope android is the same however certain apps require permissions on startup (as i assume is the same on iOS)
Bensemus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:14:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I thought this was true but when I download apps they ask for all their permissions up front. WhatsApp stopped working after I told it it couldn't access my location like 10 times. On iOS that didn't happen. I much prefer how iOS handles permissions. Android seems to let apps bully you into letting them have access even if they shoudnt needed to just open.
slightly_salty ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:28:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
From someone who does a lot of Android app dev, if that is the case, it is the app developers fault for not properly handling permissions. Not the fault of the os itself. You might agrue that Google should be more thorough when allowing apps on the store though. Apple may be checking that permissions work as you expect. Whereas Google is probably a lot more lenient with how permissions are handled
Tommh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:35:28 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Whatโs so โfunnyโ about that?
King_Joffreys_Tits ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:02:27 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's actually designed by the developer. You can just request those things willy nilly but it makes more sense to request them if needed.
Some users might not ever upload a photo, and it'd freak them out if you randomly requested access to their photos, even though they don't know that there's still very restricted access to things like that.
poisonedslo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:45:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
AFAIK App Store guidelines prohibit upfront requests for permissions
King_Joffreys_Tits ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:51:10 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
When I was first learning iOS development I had no clue what I was doing when requested permissions for things I needed later so I put them in the appDidFinishLaunchingWithOptions function which would pop up right away. Unless they changed that in the last few years then those apps are still out there and approved
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:12:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's a design choice to ask permission when you first need it.
Devs can trigger all permissions up front, or wait until you use a feature. It's a pretty common tenant of UX that you want to spread it out and ask with context
poisonedslo ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:45:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
AFAIK App Store guidelines prohibit upfront requests for permissions
unndunn ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 05:04:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As of iOS 8, the OS-level dialogs are required, and apps must provide proper explanations to be shown in the dialogs.
GalSa ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:35:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Today they must include an explanation
krathil ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:59:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They have for a while
krathil ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:59:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah I've been on iPhone forever. I had no idea what OP was talking about. This has never been a problem for me. Get a better OS.
[deleted] ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 04:43:54 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[removed]
superezfe ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:53:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They do
Apps should be required to tell the truth
tommytoan ยท -7 points ยท Posted at 01:48:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
i have never seen an explanation
goodhasgone ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:34:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Look in Settings/Privacy/Location Services and click on the app you want to know about, where you can choose never allow, while using the app or always allow. There's an 'app explanation' below. This is what mine says for Facebook.
Klipschfan1 ยท 111 points ยท Posted at 21:20:35 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah when I see a game ask for permission to my phone storage, what I type on my keyboard, my wifi information, etc, I lol-nope outta there.
waiting4singularity ยท 31 points ยท Posted at 04:22:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
if that game has a pre-rendered intro video (not a full motion sequence rendered during runtime by rubbing sprites over your screen), it'll trigger the storage permission.
NoddysShardblade ยท 30 points ยท Posted at 05:16:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I mean it's glaringly obvious that "read it's own files and/or have a small cache or temp or something" and "read all of my personal photos and stuff" should be two completely separate kinds of permissions.
And yet I still see a vague "access storage" permission that I have to accept or uninstall on major apps...
MightBeSatireBro ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 05:36:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Even in old Android, an app can access its own private folder without triggering any permissions. So that vague warning is there because it gives the app access to the rest of the storage. Private app storage is in "Android/app_name/files"
I've made a full multimedia game with no permissions. Is possible. Now that internet access isn't a listed permission, there's no reason for a lot of permissions in most cases. There are a few exceptions.
NoobInGame ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:14:54 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
A lot of people have pointed out that most permission requests seem to come from ad networks.
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 09:10:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Full multimedia game, you say... Can I access it somewhere while I surf on the WWW?
404IdentityNotFound ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:06:54 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
wifi information is usually used to check if you are connected to a WiFi network
[deleted] ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 03:54:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes please.
Not sure why a game needs access to my camera, speaker, contacts and location. You're a game. I can play you offline.
kairon156 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:16:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The weird thing is some of those games play on even if you say no.
Others say "something broke" than try to ask you again until you close them.
lisastoi ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:17:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Well if the game has sound, it's going to need your speaker.
NoobInGame ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:43:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Probably for serving ads.
riptide747 ยท 181 points ยท Posted at 20:04:18 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I think you overestimate how many people actually care or would read it.
rayjay5901 ยท 96 points ยท Posted at 20:39:03 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If it was summed up in 2 or 3 sentences for each permission I would read it and much more likely to allow it , because some apps won't function without that permission and it doesn't seem like it needs to have access to it , like why does a game need to be able to make calls or use my camera
Rolling_on_the_river ยท 85 points ยท Posted at 20:41:18 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
There's so many apps that I've not installed because of shit like this.
Z0di ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 03:10:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I can't stand when apps want access to my photos.
"no thanks"
antifail1 ยท 15 points ยท Posted at 03:44:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"okay, but it's a bunch of dick pics..."
waiting4singularity ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:24:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
gallery should be an additional permission. storage is too generalized with allowing access to all data on store. android devs fucked that one up.
jtvjan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:39:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
But the โgalleryโ your phone shows you is just all the folders of photos on your phone combined into one. Your phone is just a small computer that fits in your pocket, so think of โstorageโ as your user folder. Try going to settings, storage, tap your main storage and tap explore. You'll see a Downloads folder, a Documents folder, a Pictures folder, a Music folder, etcโฆ sound familiar?
waiting4singularity ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:44:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes. But you know the difference? I don't take my windows rig with me to the white throne nor do I have it on me all day.
It helps avoid leaking nudes when DCIM and other camera fed directories are protected by a different circle of permission compared to the general storage permission in place now.
agree2cookies ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 00:15:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This guy techs.
mbirth ยท 45 points ยท Posted at 22:39:11 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The "make calls" permission is often used to detect when you get a call so the game can be paused. "Camera" should only be allowed if the game has something like avatars or you can scan QR codes.
chuby2005 ยท 25 points ยท Posted at 00:01:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
How do we know you're not just a shady dev who pulls this type of shit to access personal info? Hmmm???
WatermelonRhyne ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:35:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You don't. If you don't want it, don't allow it.
life_rocks ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Which on Android means don't download.
WatermelonRhyne ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:19:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, it does.
No one is forcing you to get the app.
waiting4singularity ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:25:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
my untampered 6.1 rom has a permission drawer like the old app-ops.
life_rocks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:36:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You mean the permission settings? My understanding is that apps can bypass it by targeting an old version of Android.
hexafraction ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 00:30:37 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why not separate these things into separate read and write permissions (i.e. "make calls" vs "get phone call status")?
nowayguy ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 01:08:03 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The permission itself is for either ignoring or interupting a dominant program (ie. the "phone" program.) If this permission is not met the phone program automaticly overides the current program.
For most games, this allows the "phonecall notification bar" rather than shutting down the game
life_rocks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They totally should.
TimmyTesticles ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 01:46:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Candi-poo-poo would like to access your mom's dick
[ALLOW] <click>
CharlesInCars ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:12:24 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I often won't install an app based on permissions. All it takes is a few news stories to go viral about some of the apps that record you on purpose etc (they exist, but aren't typical), and people would maybe demand something be done. The problem is that right now media won't do a story on it unless the app is popular. Someone will mess up soon enough...
[deleted] ยท 26 points ยท Posted at 04:20:51 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Super Fart Noises needs access to the following:
Internal storage
Camera
Contacts list
Purchase history
Bank account
Employer information
Wife and kids
List of worst fears
Alaanor ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:10:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
ETHANWEEGEE ยท 74 points ยท Posted at 23:45:34 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I like how iOS does it; the apps ask for permissions as needed, so permission requirements are explained in the app usually.
electrostaticrain ยท 61 points ยท Posted at 03:23:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Android does this as well.
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:13:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Lots of wrong people here.
Devs can set permissions to trigger based on interactions or just ask up front during onboarding.
The reason they spread them out is that you're more likely to give us permissions if we ask with context based on user research.
PM-ME-HAPPY-TURTLES ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:25:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
What version are you on? What manufacturer? Does it use a custom UI like TouchWiz?
Sorry for the barrage it's just I've never heard of Android having that before.
howImetyoursquirrel ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 05:05:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Its been a feature since 6.0, so almost 2 years now
Bensemus ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 06:16:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Except it only triggers for 6.0 apps. If the devs haven't updated their app then it won't use the new system.
NoobInGame ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:42:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Backwards compatibility.
Ninganah ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:19:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's been in stock since like 6.0 I think, and on custom/manufacturer ROMs for a few years before that.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:24:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
To be clear only new android devices with new apps do this.
oaqkxqjkxqxpy ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:34:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Android M to be exact (or 30+% of devices accessing google play ).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Marshmallow
electrostaticrain ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:04:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Anything post-6.0 does. So, devices running Android M, N and O.
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:13:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
ivar_the_boneless_ ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:51:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Of course the developer has to implement it. It certainly is possible to give an explanation for the permission request - I have experienced it both as a developer and user.
superezfe ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:54:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Which is the difference...iOS requires this, Android...allows it?
CanYouDigItHombre ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:33:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Read my reply to him
electrostaticrain ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:58:04 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
... exactly. The app asks for permissions while you're running it.
As opposed to, say, having to blanket agree to all the permissions for an app, which used to be how Android worked, pre-6.0.
[deleted] ยท -11 points ยท Posted at 03:14:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
shook_one ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 03:22:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
eyeroll
[deleted] ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:30:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:48:33 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The stability is pretty good for me (iOS 10, iPhone 5s)
CptSpockCptSpock ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:57:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Nice strawman you got there
Racorse ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:58:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Apple has this. In Xcode you have to explain why you are using location services, photos, camera etc... It isn't used for anything other than the alert function description when the app says "'App' wants to access photos". So yeah, it can be improved.
phu-q-2 ยท 32 points ยท Posted at 23:41:32 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Even if they stated "the reason" it doesn't mean that's what the reason would be. Many of these apps are designed to collect data to sell. Not help you. Fucking asshole app developers selling out as many people as they can. It's a cannibalistic society unfortunately.
LSF604 ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:30:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Most of the time its for targeted advertising
phu-q-2 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:49:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
We're saying the same thing. These apps exist to sell people's data. I don't want every company in the world having all the demographics about me so they can "effectively advertise to me". It's an invasion of privacy. Fuck their advertising needs. I don't want it
NoobInGame ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:46:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If people would be more willing to give something other than their data.
Like money.
throwaway_987654320 ยท 102 points ยท Posted at 22:07:42 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Had an app today that requested (logically) location access. I declined. Went into settings, and verified that it was off. Loaded the app. It detected my location. Figured they did that with IP geolocation. So, I fired up my location spoofer. Closed and reopened the app. It detected my "new location" despite not having location access.
So, it doesn't matter what they ask for, or why they say they need it. They'll just obtain it anyway, whether you allow it or not.
ThimeeX ยท 85 points ยท Posted at 22:50:58 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I bought a fancy coffee machine the other day, that uses an app to adjust settings. Said app wants my location? Why? Your purpose in life is to make coffee! I decline the location request but said app proceeds to figure it out anyway, perhaps by IP address geolocation.
Said coffee maker is on its way back to Amazon, no thanks - I don't need yet another data Hoover in my kitchen.
Superkroot ยท 43 points ยท Posted at 03:54:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
There's some cool ideas that could be done with a coffee machine tied to an app that wants location data. Maybe it could be setup to automatically make you a cup a coffee in the morning if you're at your house, while not doing so if you're away. It could track your coffee drinking habits to provide coffee before you knew you wanted it.
Chances are though, the app does none of that shit and is just gathering your data to sell.
zyhhuhog ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:47:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You mean to "Enhance user experience"? :)
DiabolicSpartan ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:07:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
More enhancement.
Twigsintheforest ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:22:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This is how you get a caffeine problem
ThimeeX ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:42:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They had some spiel about using your altitude (probably from current location) to get the right temperature. Or something. They could just let me enter it in the app if I decline to reveal where I live, how many pots of coffee I made each day, and what time I make them.
I ended up replacing it with an "old-school" Technivorm, a coffee machine with an on/off switch and nothing else! Ain't gonna be snitching on my 2am coffee drinking habits now anytime soon....
lallapalalable ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:06:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Boy, I boil water and pour it through a cone filter, one cup at a time. Ain't gonna be trackin' me through them 'lectricity wires!
Superkroot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:40:10 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I was thinking about that feature too, which is still a bullshit reason because an altimeter is probably a lot easier to add and probably cheaper, but doesn't get the company that sweet sweet data mining revenue.
Twigsintheforest ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:22:04 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This is how you get a caffeine problem
oatscoop ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 05:05:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Did it use bluetooth? Google updated the API for bluetooth, and now it uses device location as an identifier instead of the hardware identifier. So any app that uses bluetooth anymore needs your location.
ThimeeX ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 05:39:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
No, it's one of those WiFi devices where you connect to it directly the first time to set up your WiFi credentials, after which it stores them and connects to the internet.
It communicates through mothership central - some service that these guys host: http://dadolabs.com/. So the app doesn't talk to the machine directly, but through a third party host.
I'm pretty sure that these guys collect all sorts of data points (didn't read their EULA / TL), coffee drinking habits would be a nice data point to add to your online profile that they collect for each of us. Bah to that, coffee machine goes right back to Amazon and I write an angry review haha.
radaldando ยท 37 points ยท Posted at 03:13:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"They'll just obtain it anyway, whether you allow it or not."
No, this is just not true and you gave a single counterexample...
Allowing an app to access your location gives the app permission to use the GPS function and find your location using tower and Wifi signals. Preventing an app from using your location only prevents the location from being fed through Android's API, of course it's not going to prevent the app from looking up your IP in a geolocation database. The only way to prevent that is to completely cut the app's internet access.
DiamondIceNS ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:42:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
He said he used a GPS location spoofer and the app picked up on the new GPS coordinates he was feeding it. If the phone was using GeoIP it wouldn't have mattered.
MechanicalEngineEar ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:26:11 on September 9, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
then he should be upset with Android and not the app. I doubt the app has some elite hacker ninja programmer who somehow found a way around Android's security features and is using that new found knowledge to get location data for some cheap app.
Either that or he is lying or confused about what he was spoofing.
radome9 ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:45:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If the app used geolocation it wouldn't have been fooled by a location spoofer. That said I doubt OP's story is true - if the app could circumvent permissions, why bother asking at all?
throwaway_987654320 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:05:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As we've seen with other apps, sometimes the advertising SDKs that get built into an app don't always have the best intentions. I'm more than willing to admit there could be some mistake on my end, but I duplicated it today with another device. I'm not a security researcher, by any means, so I'd take my story for what it is, anecdotal evidence.
radome9 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:04 on September 6, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Name of the app? Android or iPhone?
throwaway_987654320 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:42:57 on September 6, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group), iOS.
oatscoop ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:00:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Or a VPN.
life_rocks ยท -3 points ยท Posted at 03:45:27 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
He didn't allow...
Tayl100 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:48:24 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Did you even read the comment?
life_rocks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:39:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Clearly not well enough, sorry.
waiting4singularity ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:28:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
for the dumb ones,
location permission -> App queries GPS location, identifies wifi and cell towers in vicinity
permission denied -> internet protocol address is used to detect the country using GeoIP
LSF604 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:30:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Nope, they cant
Myotherdumbname ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
What location spoofer?
superezfe ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:58:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's likely using your Wi-Fi SSID. I guarantee you there is a database with the location of your Wi-Fi network in it. I have checked and mine certainly is, and I live in a rural area.
DaJacer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:09:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's not how it works, at least on Android. If my apps don't have permissions for something, they simply cannot access it. It's at the core of Android and no app can get around that programmatically.
throwaway_987654320 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:43:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
iOS, Jailbroken. IHG app. Tested it even on a second device. Without location faker, location access set to "never." It initially detected the correct location- as I would assume it would, geolocation via IP is real. I then turned on the Location Spoofer, placing myself in a completely different country. Closed and re-opened the app, and despite Location set to "never" detected my new location.
Not a security researcher, so take my findings with a grain of doubt. Users can screw up, even more than experts. But it happened. Twice now.
incognito26 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:34:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Found Uber
Myros27 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:01:51 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I use root with xPrivaticy and Appsettings. I don't think they can obtain data...
The_Bucket_Of_Truth ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:02:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
What phone?
[deleted] ยท -17 points ยท Posted at 23:58:59 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I agree. Just because one person is a bad person every person is bad. I totally agree.
Edit: is he not claiming everyone is bad according to his experience with one app?
345plates ยท -6 points ยท Posted at 04:34:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's what you get for using android.
Politicallythrown ยท 15 points ยท Posted at 03:26:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This app has requested access to your keyboard for:
Fixing "thier" to "their"
hollowfirst ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:43:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Would love an app that could do that. Definitely can have access to my location as well.
Saskjimbo ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 02:47:04 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
facebook: to spy on you
Th0u ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:40:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
*their
KukukachuGotScrewed ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 04:13:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah like why the fuck does Snapchat need access to my camera?
teezythakidd ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 04:23:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Or the mic!? Pfft
KukukachuGotScrewed ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:29:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And for that matter, why does my GPS need access to "location services"? It's the NSA.
MechanicalEngineEar ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 18:32:03 on September 9, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
if it makes you feel any better, there has been research done on using cameras to detect tiny vibrations in objects and reverse calculate the soundwaves that would cause that vibration and generate sound from that information. It can use things ranging from leaves to a chip bag to to a pane of glass. They have been able to reconstruct what a person is saying on the opposite side of a soundproof room with a video camera with no audio input.
There are also laser based microphones that reflect lasers off windows which vibrate tiny amounts due to human speech and the deflection angle of the laser is converted back into an audio signal but until our phones start firing out lasers, this won't be an issue.
teezythakidd ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:30:22 on September 9, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's crrraaaazy. But so cool, scientifically speaking.
MetaWhirledPeas ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:10:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I refuse to install Snapchat for Android, because it asks for nearly every permission in the book. In fact they are so determined to get all the permissions they continue to compile their app using the outdated "all or nothing" permissions standard, lest some rogue user dare say no to one of them.
Krarl ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:45:03 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I took a look at them and they all seem quite reasonable. Which ones do you have a problem with?
KukukachuGotScrewed ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:15:10 on September 6, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'm curious about this too. Though it does seem odd.
jtvjan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:52:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I can't even login because I'm rooted and xposed. Not a big deal since I never use it, but it's dumb to not allow it just because the person using it is rooted.
pdxchris ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:18:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And they should have a time machine feature built in that allows you to switch back to a functioning version when an update kills an app.
MightBeSatireBro ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:48:54 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's the gamble of turning off auto updates. Then reading the update notes before updating. There are also apps that will back up the install (APK) files for you, for such an event.
MechanicalEngineEar ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:34:23 on September 9, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
at best that would only work for apps that get everything they need locally. otherwise it would be as simple as the host's servers rejecting requests from old versions of the app.
Imagine you have a security flaw in your app that can be exploited to access other user's information. the developer should have the authority to shut that version down.
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 06:43:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
App makers should be required to give a short explanation to app distributors for why they need access to your information. Then the app distributor should write a more honest explanation:
payoffmybike ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:05:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Hahaha pretty much
danger__d ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 01:40:45 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
to track you and sell your data, there done.
brendenderp ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:22:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'm a developer. And I'm actually genuinely using all the services I request. Thouse that I'm not are required for Google play services. Mabye I just havent been corrupted by the market yet
Wootery ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:18:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Forcing them to say it would be a big step in the right direction.
KitrosReddit ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 00:02:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"To use the app"
B-C-4-2-0 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:47:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Just click agree to all terms. Hopefully you don't end up at the back.. https://youtu.be/KPwLj84Pkts
Lawrencium265 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 03:40:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
phones should allow you to revoke individual permissions from individual apps without the app knowing.
monzzter221 ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 05:12:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
In android, you can go into the app permissions and revoke them. Sometimes apps stop working, other times they work fine.
I take notification access away from every single app that I don't need to tell me something (so messaging and email). I take away location access to everything that doesn't need it, and virtually nothing has access to my contacts. I've had an app or two flip out, but unless it has a good reason, like its a text messaging app and so needs contacts, it gets removed immediately. This is my phone, I don't have time to fuck with your shit, stupid app.
GeistesblitZ ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:30:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
How the heck would this work? Say you don't give it permission to know your location. It tries to find your location. It realizes it can't. Now what?
It'd obviously be able to find out what permissions have been denied by trying to do it.
MightBeSatireBro ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:47:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Any decently programmed app has to check for errors all the time when trying to access functions. Even just allocating memory for something. So the result would depend on the coding. If the access isn't fundamental to the app, it should be programmed to continue working and maybe throw you an error alert. But if it's very poorly coded it might crash. Or if the developer really wants that access, it would be obvious IF you could block it.
ineedmorealts ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:09:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Return a random location.
It would be simpler with things like Camera and photos (Because you could just return a fake device and empty gallery)
Lawrencium265 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:50:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
have the phone give a spoofed location
rollsyrollsy ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 01:42:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I misread that as "Apes should be required..." and I totally agreed that they need to explain why they need access to your phone.
Robert_Jarman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:49:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Remember that Macaque monkey that took photos of itself and the camera owner claimed he had the copyright?
KyleOrtonAllDay ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:55:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
*their
youpayikill ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:02:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
their*
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 01:26:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes...like why does Firefox need access to my MICROPHONE when I try to upload a PDF of my resume to ziprecruiter?!
Needless to say, I did not upload my resume to ziprecruiter.
LinkSoraZelda ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:29:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Firefox standardly uses direct uploads from the Camera or Microphone for mediums to upload from, in addition to the normal file browsing app you'll have to upload the PDF from.
ZCreator97 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:49:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
What, do they also use protocols for dot matrix printers as their defaults?
mong0038 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 23:30:34 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, like a petition for their request
imizaac ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:35:13 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
iOS requires this, but doesn't have requirements on what you must include.
KarmaKaroo ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:40:27 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
iOS apps require developers to supply a blurb
TheHornyHobbit ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:44:56 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If it's not an essential function then the answer is always "to make more money off you"
Rian220 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:13:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Just so there's more stuff for me to just agree to without reading
waiting4singularity ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:29:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
some devs put those explanations in the store description.
somekindawizard ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:30:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Apple does require this for at least location services, each app has to provide a detailed description of what theyโll use your location for under settings>privacy>location services
debridezilla ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:49:27 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And line-item opt out.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:23:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
poisonedslo ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:11:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As well as previous versions.
snorkles01 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:24:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
A lot of apps already do this on Android, although I don't think it's required.
brumbrumcar ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:36:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, and everybody will read them, just like the Terms of Services and EULAs, right?
payoffmybike ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:07:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Absolutely!
pimpmayor ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:37:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I'm pretty sure the latest version of Android does that now (or has the capability for tooltips on permissions) They're not usually that complicated to figure out what they're for tho.
randompanda687 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:51:18 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
iOS developer here. You HAVE to say something in order to get permissions in apps. Like if an app wants to request permission for the Camera, you have to give something of an explanation to be a subtitle in that message that pops up asking for permission. It won't run otherwise. Can't speak for Android though, they got some weird shit going on in their Play Store
justaguyulove ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:57:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They usually do in my experience.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:08:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
they'd just use bullshit reasons. a game could say they need access to your phonebook so they can enable their fancy-pansy play with friends feature, while in reality they just sell your phonebook to some shady spamming company.
--dawg ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:36:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Is that why you didn't enable spell check?
payoffmybike ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:03:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Savage!
BADMANvegeta_ ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:36:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If they did that, chances are people would stop agreeing.
tomerjm ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:41:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You do know this exist, right? Whenever you download an app from the store it asks for permissions, and displays what ever permission does, and what part of the phone they're using.
wheeldawg ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:33:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This is far from truth.
Some apps mention it in the description, but far FAR from every app. You get to see what permissions, but not necessarily why it's asking for them.
tomerjm ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:22:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why? I wonder? Why does the camera app needs permission to access files on my device?
Just take the time to study a little bit about android and how it works. The info is all there, you just don't know how to read itโฆ
Oh, and EVERY APP contains a list of detailed permissions, you just need to know where to lookโฆ.
SiVGiV ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:47:18 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Correct, but it does not display why the app needs that permission, which is what OP is talking about.
tomerjm ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:21:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Ahhhh, so he basically want to be an android developer without school?
MysteriousFishy ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:07:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Their
_another_throwawayy_ ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:23:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I like the way you spelled their
overandover86 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:45:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
To ensure correct spelling
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:21:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
TIL lots of wannabe app developers in this thread.
nutsaur ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:11:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
There you go - a little more succinct and removed a typo.
gingerbear ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 02:56:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They are. Apps can't just grab location from your phone unless they have a justifiable reason to use location data. Apps will get rejected from the app store otherwise.
fawntugboat ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:02:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Apps arenโt really that closely observed in the review process though
poisonedslo ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:27:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Itโs not even possible to access the functionality without a permission. And they DO check permission messages all the time.
huntmich ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:34:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
So we can sell the information to nefarious third parties thus allowing you to donwload the app for free.
Remember: if the app isn't the commodity, you are.
trudel69 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 01:10:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Refer to the South Park episode on the EULA (With the CentIpad)
Blork32 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 20:42:01 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That seems like it would only serve to discourage people from installing apps.
LowRune ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 23:14:45 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Well, it would work both ways. An app requires my call information? Not being installed, but then I find out that the call info is being used to pause the game, then I'll probably download.
themoonisacheese ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:58:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Which would be bullshit, because the phone tells the app "you are no longer on the screen right now." When you recieve a call or close it down. What it really wants the permission for, we may never know.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:17:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
LowRune ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:37:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Probably, which is why I only download necessary apps or apps with very minimal permissions.
Snaggel ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:47:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The devs could lie and claim all shady permissions are used for good/convenience and before the app is removed from the store, the damage is already done
Littletank11 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 00:33:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Some apps will
Jinpingthepooh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:08:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
yeah, like you were gonna read them
tommytoan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:49:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
we all got into various uproars at facebook for taking all our personal data, meanwhile i download a ruler app that demands access to every single aspect of my life stored on my phone.
life_rocks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:52:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Report that app and download the one that doesn't do that.
AusNorman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:51:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Data mining for profit. All you need to know.
peppermint25 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:00:28 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My phone used to say specifics, such as "BlahApp would like to: *Use your microphone, even when app is not in use. *Take video, even when phone is not in use." Then it updated. It doesn't tell me shit anymore.
hotbuttbiscuit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:06:28 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I read the first word as "Apes." Thought would still apply, I guess.
Robert_Jarman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:51:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Remember this: https://www.google.ca/amp/gizmodo.com/wikimedia-wont-take-down-this-photo-because-a-monkey-ow-1616874824/amp?
jmgs000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:15:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Half don't, they do it and f with your phone
jmgs000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:16:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Like here's a question -why are some flashlight apps over 1 GB!
Racorse ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:02:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why do you have them?
jmgs000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:31:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Oh I don't for that treason
Succubia ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:31:29 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I had downloaded a game where they actually told me why they wanted to access something.
There's different 'clearance', 'levels' of access, and they needed a single thing from a level that gave them access to some other data from my phone. And they were forced to take that one
reinchelien ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:35:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Well designed apps do exactly that in order to improve the odds that you will give them access.
Tonekrash ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:02:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I believe there is an Allow and some sort of Decline/Cancel/No Way button. The existence of the second button and its lack of use would seem to contradict your statement.
Habanero10 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:25:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They often say they get your email contacts etc but what do they actually DO with that? I don't think they are bothering my contacts but IONO
BugOnARockInAVoid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:29:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I just downloaded one that did not exactly this! It was refreshing.
Benjacook11 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:34:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
In the new iOS they are; you will get a build time error without a proper info.plist
patowarheart ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:43:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Man tech support would be called for every dumb bit of info they ask of you. As long as they ask for permission for the camera and location it's ok. Imagine a 50 years old candy crush player ask him to use 50 mb of cache for constant leadboards update. "Customer: Whats this on my candy crush that's taking my memory I just want to play! Tech support guy: its okay this is normal. Cc:then why does it ask me for it? Is my credit card info safe?
You might know how each part of a phone works but that's not the case for most cell phone owners. Only Askin for simple things like location or camera is fine. More educated users always have settings options and hacks.
IWugYouWugHeSheMeWug ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:44:24 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
At first I misread this as "Apple should be required..." and was really confused since, although the default apps don't ask for access permissions, all of Apple's apps are pretty much one function apps. It would be kind of dumb if you needed to approve access to your contacts for the Phone or Contacts app, or if you needed to approve microphone access for the Voice Memos app.
just__elisha ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:15:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
But you already do IIRC on voice memos? I have a weird memory of allowing it access to my microphone
Anomalous-Entity ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:01:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I just want to know who wrote MDSND.
Bently5102 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:30 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It's prolly in the tos
HonestMcAbe ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I agree, though I don't think that makes it any better. They'll just say one thing and do another.
The real problem is that we expect everything for free these days. They found a way to accommodate that expectation, for better or for worse.
kairon156 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:14:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
get a google pixel. I've went through things apps requested and denied them when I read something I didn't want to give them access for "making phone calls" for example.
Than I deleted those apps.
fuzzylittlemanpeach8 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:05:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah because when my night mode app asks me for phone access I get a little concerned.
memclean ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:41 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Some of the good apps on Android phone do.
changeiscool ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:08:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Whoever invented apps must have been a possessive ex.
ejmtv ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:10:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"To look for nudes... for fun purposes"
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:10:57 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Wow what an interesting shower thought
kairon156 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Google Pixel does just this.
teezythakidd ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:23:02 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Aka...Android...like...since day one. (not an android sponsor btw)
kairon156 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:27:15 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I've just recently upgraded from a LG Rumor so this is my first modern phone.
It's good to know it's a basic Android feature though.
Apps4Life ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:21 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Apple does require this as of iOS10 for app developers afaik
jfmamjjas ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:29:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
There should be a permission to use internet connection, imho.
colebodyknows ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:39:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And why they redirect to the App Store. Also need to make locations services only work when using it. The scariest thing are keyboard apps. They can send back all the info you type back to the company. They say it's for spell checking and auto corrects. I honestly don't trust companies and think we are giving away our freedoms with a bow on it.
Sad thing Siri still can't properly get 85% of the stuff I say correct but talks back to me like an asshole while the NSA gets the info a. "Bomb threat" for ask her to "bomb track" by rage. She doesn't pick up southern and Texas draws well. Siri kinda sucks. Wish she sounded like Elizabeth Hurley or weird science girl. Hunter? Forgot her name
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:45:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My mobile data tracker requires VPN and location...? Can someone explain it to me? It sounds really unrelated. The app name is MyDataManager
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It would just be more bullshit that you wouldn't read and would blindly sign anyway.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe read the description and change logs of app updates on the apps page in the store.
unndunn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:47:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
iOS requires this. Every permission an app requests has to come with a short explanation of why it is needed. iOS will automatically make the request, showing the explanation, the first time the app needs it. Apps are not allowed to bombard you with multiple permission requests at the same time.
Apple doesn't let developers get away with bullshit reasons like "to improve your experience" either. Nor are developers allowed to unreasonably block app functionality when a permission request is denied.
Gustace ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:48:08 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Cause you would trust the explanation ?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:49:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As a Dev, I would love a special spot in the permissions list to do this. Some permissions aren't obvious
Choreboy ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:11:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Can't you list it on your market page?
qdhcjv ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:49:27 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Snapchat, surprisingly, does this. The list is really extensive.
Choreboy ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:11:05 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Very nice. More apps need to follow this example.
mattcnz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:51:32 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Android does this at least. The apps I have made all have runtime permissions prompts
Realman77 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:58:37 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
iOS does that in the settings when you go there
RobbieCast ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:03:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They do, it's in the apps TOS
DesastreUrbano ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:07:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I guess my sudoku app needs my contacts list and acces to my pictures on the device and cloud to make better sudokus...
Beersaround ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:12:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Oh great, it's another jacking off episode.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:14:31 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
But the general populace won't understand.
just__elisha ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:14:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It can be done on iOS, some apps do it, some don't, but it will not help. Thankfully now with Android marshmallow or Nougat?, we can ban permissions one by one
Carhillion ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:21:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
API calls. All integrated apps share a database.
Eutyr ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:24:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
There's a app for that.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:30:25 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Really tired of apps asking me to connect with Facebook too.
GavinGT ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:41:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's exactly what runtime permissions on Android are for.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:42:37 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, they should
SmittyWarben229 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:43:37 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Flashlight would like access to your contacts
Mentioned_Videos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:44:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
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[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They sometimes do, but it's usually for bullshit reasons
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They sometimes do, but it's usually for bullshit reasons
PDZef ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I think this idea slowly grew into what we now know as the Apple User Agreement. They know that nobody outside of class action lawyers are going to read that crap. Sadly, it's probably better this way.
stalkingocelot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:47:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Hearthstone on android keeps wanting to make voice calls. Why? Itโs a fucking card game
Twoisnoe ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My blurry vision saw the initial word in your post as "Apes". I too believe that Apes should be required to give a short explanation.
I'd like to think it would be something succinct like:
"Ook."
davidnist ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:55:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
what would be the fun in that?
krathil ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:56:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They do. What shitty phone do you have?
Noxime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:57:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Android is doing this. First it prompts you for permission, if you decline, the app has to tell you why it needs the permission and asks again
potemkintutu ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:01:06 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It might already be in the terms and conditions. But no one will ever know!!
404IdentityNotFound ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:03:28 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
AppDev here! I'd love to explain you that I need Internet access to connect to our API and the reason I am asking for information about your network is, that I am checking whether or not you are on mobile data to minimize the download of data through my app..
However Google and Apple do not want customized texts on OS level.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:04:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
To track your habits in order to sell you more shit or for any other nefarious reason that could lead to deeper penetration. I thought this was obvious AF. Am I just cynical?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:04:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
HalcyonAbraham ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:10:22 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Pretty sure they already do
Simmenfl ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:15:17 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This will probably get buried because Im too late but basically this is already encouraged, at least for iOS. As app developers we only get to ask once for permission and once it's declined, we can not ask again. Then we have to direct users into the settings which is messy and confusing.
Hence it makes a lot of sense to provide an explanation on why you need the permission, BEFORE you actually ask for it, so to make sure you actually use the one shot you have for this. So in our case we build in our own dialogue that explains why and only once you agree we will trigger the systems dialogue.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:16:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
no one would read them
g0atmeal ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:19:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Ads. The answer is ads.
distortionwarrior ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:22:50 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I would gladly pay good money to get the same apps but without any permissions asked of me, and no shenanigans. Just do what the app says it is supposed to do.
TheMemoryofFruit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:23:41 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
As far as I know, they do. However they just lie and make up stuff. A better idea would be to require all advertisers/apps to make their location/age /full name etc available. Plus they have to say how many times they accessed the information and for how long. The address of their business and all the parent companies etc. You can get partial bits of that anyway but it needs to be joined together so you can see patterns in behaviour.
Qf3ck3r ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:58 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
*their
romulusnr ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:29:41 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And you always, always, always should to be able to say no, and the app shouldn't refuse to function if you do.
payoffmybike ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:09:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Although I partially agree, that is not a realistic expectation. For example snapchat wants access to your camera and you say no. How are you planning to send your selfies to the whole world? Its impossible without the camera.
romulusnr ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:17:53 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
right, but anything else it does should work fine. Snapchat is certainly not a great example, although... can it send local phone images? Then that should still work without the camera.
romulusnr ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:23:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
right, but anything else it does should work fine. Snapchat is certainly not a great example, although... can it send local phone images? Then that should still work without the camera.
hatefkasraei ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:30:49 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They do! In iOS at least it is required to give an explanation for every privacy access, such as photos etc. without doing this, iOS simply rejects the app entirely and crashes. But Apple canโt check every single message detail after the app is shipped so developers put whatever they feel like.
NearPup ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:32:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
For the app I used to work on, it was both "we need this information to function and we need it to make money from ads".
newbfella ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:35:59 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
South Korea has made this info mandatory. It is a good move.
logosobscura ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:36:48 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
From a development perspective: we'd love to. Then we're spanked with UI requirements (must be no more than 10 chars or some crap), lack of granularity in permissions and annoying App Store reviews where they clearly don't have the smallest clue what they're looking at.
For example: I don't give a shit where you are until you try and do a location based search at the moment you hit 'search' without an address. My options are: all the time, or 'I've asked for your location once, therefore give it to me forever!'
Worse, you have asshats doing deeply shady shit that make everyone else look bad. I really don't want to cross-correlate your Wifi APs with your porn habits- but someone did, and now we're all tarred with the same brush.
Jeflux ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:43:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
And let's not forget that you need location permission to use Bluetooth on Android M and up, just because of some stupid Google beacon experiment thing
torspedia ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:47:40 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, as when some apps say they need to access my Contact info, I think... why would they need that?
lordoflotsofocelots ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:11:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
We need this to watch over you. Seriously - you need to be watched.
EchinusRosso ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:23:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They can't though. They can tell you why, but the thing is, if an app has microphone permissions, they have microphone permissions, regardless of what they say they're for.
If you don't trust an app, don't use it. Because it likely is doing data mining.
Ilovepoopies ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:31:20 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
VLC does it in the app store.
dontknowhowtoprogram ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:43:34 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
If you email the contact email that most apps have they will usually answer you to why they need them. But in my experience all the answers sounded normal but there is no way to ever know if they are telling the truth.
TroyKing ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:05:01 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
You yourself can implement this. If the app doesn't tell you, don't install it. I'm not kidding or being flippant about it. Take your privacy seriously if it bothers you.
Tha_Croat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:35:54 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Or if it's obvious, like a camera app needing camera access is fine, but it needing access to your contacts is a bit more shady.
___Chef___ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:12:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah but they're not going to because you'll still downliad them
CiaranM87 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:24:10 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
SnapChat: "We need to store your facial recognition data against your user ID so we can sell it to Big Brother later for lots and lots of CAAASH"
Pure_Golden ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:24:46 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
On Android it tells you exactly this, and even then it's your choice to allow it access to this exact part.
So go Google!
The only downside is, some apps don't function unless they get access to everything they want permission for.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:25:43 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
No, you're a slave to the master race, the rich, and they own you and the rights to spy on you're every move and thought.
chtiflot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:27:24 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The european GDPR will require every company to ask for consent in context, and explain the reason why they want personal data from you
nogalt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:29:07 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"We had to harvest data to sell for money.
If we couldn't harvest the data to sell for money, we wouldn't have spent hours making the app.
You're welcome."
napoleoninrags98 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:31:09 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
It boggles my fucking mind that people don't actively demand this -- at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I've heard multiple reports of users suspecting certain apps of actually recording their conversations (couch facebook...)
Seriously, why the fuck do they need access to my camera and microphone if I don't even need to take pictures? Why aren't we asking any questions about this?
LeapingLupine ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:34:36 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
They want to spy on users and ID who you are, where you are so they can sell you shit and follow you wherever you go.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:44:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
r/lightbulb
this isn't a showerthought
E72M ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:51:23 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"Cookie clicker would like access to contacts"
Salmon_Quinoi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:53:44 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
A lot of iPhone apps do this these days, where itโll mention that a certain permission box is about to show up. You can then choose to accept that particular permission or not.
straylyan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:00:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
I wish Apple would crack down on apps hard. Like Spotify with their bullshit update reasons. I'm looking at alternatives but Pandora just closed down here.
Rondaru ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:26:55 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
"You can't handle the truth."
calcjosh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:27:16 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Imo apps aren't useful
ancientmisha ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:44:34 on September 4, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's a great idea
loztriforce ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 00:16:26 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
While iOS has improved in this respect, if they did what they would do if they cared about our privacy, they'd lose a lot of money. Apps like the flashlight apps that ask for camera/picture/location access would have to justify the reason, but clearly there's no benign explanation: that'd limit the number of successful apps and thus, virtually tax-free dough from Apple's pockets.
tighterprof ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:10:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
That's iOS 11
JudgeJoeCool ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:13:39 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Why? If they want something and aren't going to tell you why, don't let them have it, uninstall it, move on with your life?
yukidjesus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:57:56 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Just like a women need to access everything in your entire body to provide you full user experience. ;)
jfmamjjas ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:40:42 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Next day - access to wallet granted.
CloudTheSavior ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:44:12 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
This is the exact reason I don't use androids, I don't feel comfortable letting a wall paper app alter my contacts or read my messages.
[deleted] ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:25:19 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Racorse ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:01:38 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Uhhh
Fatal_Taco ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:48:52 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
We need your data as required by the CCP so that they can sell them to advertisers
Swiftfire1002 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:29:47 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
The sad truth...
[deleted] ยท -3 points ยท Posted at 03:05:35 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
[removed]
Tiefman ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 02:48:14 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
My s8+ does this with every app
LonerPallin ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 03:25:11 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Their*
Racorse ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 04:02:00 on September 5, 2017 ยท (Permalink)
Ass*