Hello there. This is my first post here, sorry if the title sounds rude but I couldn't do better.
My mother has an Android smartphone and I was playing with it recently and it surprised me that Apps permissions are something that no one seems to care about nowadays (I only install from Google play). Seriously, the massive majority of apps request permissions that doesn't make any sense and are very suspicious. Even the simplest app needs access to network, your precise location and phone calls. (I understand network and location could be for ads, but why 'precise' (gps) location? And why phone calls?)
Most people seems to happily install these apps but I would never install >95% of the 'free' apps solely because of their permissions.
In my opinion, the permissions should either be much more detailed (for example "read phone status and identity - Allows the app to access the phone features of the device. This permission allows the app to determine the phone number and device IDs, whether a call is active, and the remote number connected by a call." should be broken in "allows the app to determine the phone number and device IDs", "allows the app to determine whether a call is active" and "allows the app to determine the remote number connected by a call") or they should be 'toggleable' (yes, the devs will have to handle if a permission is denied), or maybe both.
Anyway, Imho, it's an absurd risk to have almost every single application 'knowing' exactly where you are, who you called, your phone number, and being able to access the network.
I know most people are okay with that, but I'm not and will never be, and it seems Google also doesn't care about the devs just throwing a blank check for the users to sign (some apps simply ask for every permission possible). You can call me 'old' but if 'young' means to let the entire world know everything about me then I'm proud of being old.
I have a Nokia featurephone that has offline GPS navigation (something android doesn't have - google maps is a joke (seriously, which country has internet in 100% of the territory) and sygic isn't as precise and reliable) and doesn't have a store with thousand of titles but also doesn't expose my personal information to the entire world.
For me, there's no advantage in having a smartphone as the battery life is awful in most of them and the biggest advantage (the apps) are outta control imho, so I'll probably never install most of them.
I know this topic is kinda pointless to most of you but I'd really like to have a smartphone, however, an Android smartphone is out of question, and I don't see any 'safe' alternative.
Thanks for your time.
My mother has an Android smartphone and I was playing with it recently and it surprised me that Apps permissions are something that no one seems to care about nowadays (I only install from Google play). Seriously, the massive majority of apps request permissions that doesn't make any sense and are very suspicious. Even the simplest app needs access to network, your precise location and phone calls. (I understand network and location could be for ads, but why 'precise' (gps) location? And why phone calls?)
Most people seems to happily install these apps but I would never install >95% of the 'free' apps solely because of their permissions.
In my opinion, the permissions should either be much more detailed (for example "read phone status and identity - Allows the app to access the phone features of the device. This permission allows the app to determine the phone number and device IDs, whether a call is active, and the remote number connected by a call." should be broken in "allows the app to determine the phone number and device IDs", "allows the app to determine whether a call is active" and "allows the app to determine the remote number connected by a call") or they should be 'toggleable' (yes, the devs will have to handle if a permission is denied), or maybe both.
Anyway, Imho, it's an absurd risk to have almost every single application 'knowing' exactly where you are, who you called, your phone number, and being able to access the network.
I know most people are okay with that, but I'm not and will never be, and it seems Google also doesn't care about the devs just throwing a blank check for the users to sign (some apps simply ask for every permission possible). You can call me 'old' but if 'young' means to let the entire world know everything about me then I'm proud of being old.
I have a Nokia featurephone that has offline GPS navigation (something android doesn't have - google maps is a joke (seriously, which country has internet in 100% of the territory) and sygic isn't as precise and reliable) and doesn't have a store with thousand of titles but also doesn't expose my personal information to the entire world.
For me, there's no advantage in having a smartphone as the battery life is awful in most of them and the biggest advantage (the apps) are outta control imho, so I'll probably never install most of them.
I know this topic is kinda pointless to most of you but I'd really like to have a smartphone, however, an Android smartphone is out of question, and I don't see any 'safe' alternative.
Thanks for your time.