Launcher permissions and security concerns

[KwisatzHaderach]

Hello AC community!

Recently i made the switch from W10m to Android. I'm now on a Moto Z and hugely enjoy having a reliable and smooth device for once, even if I do miss the stellar camera of the Lumia 950 and the overall clarity of W10m. Hence I'm looking for a good replacement of the boring Google launcher. I've tried out the arrow launcher and launcher 10, with its live tile based UI. Then there is Square2 home launcher, another W10m style UI that looks really slick and functional. Upon installing I get some unsettling permission prompts that make me hesitant to install the app though. The launcher not only wants access to my phone, contacts and calendar (which seems reasonable) but also to identity, device ID, camera, position, email, data...

So, if I install this, wouldn't I give ALL of my sensitive data into the hands of a single dev? Are there any security measures in place to prevent abuse of these permissions? I found it a bit odd to see nobody complain in the ratings...

 

[ManiacJoe]

A launcher pretty much runs the phone, thus it needs permissions for just about everything.

For any launcher you are looking into, check its ratings and reviews. Misbehavior gets flagged really quickly.