5 ms·

Finally. It's ridiculous that a supposedly sandboxed text editor would have access to all your photos, for instance. Apps should only have access to their own

by devit 8y ago

Finally. It's ridiculous that a supposedly sandboxed text editor would have access to all your photos, for instance. Apps should only have access to their own private storage and to data that the user has explicitly picked from a file picker or similar UI, which is what this update does AFAICT. It seems a serious mistake though to not affect apps installed on upgrade and to disallow access instead of just providing a virtual private copy of the external storage for each app (though the latter is not clear from the article).

pmontra 8y ago
I use syncthing to sync files from several folders of my phone (internal app storage) to folders on my laptop (usually as a backup) and viceversa (usually because it's easier to download some files on my laptop, think about GPX tracks). This means that I need synchthing to access all those folders. I also use an open source file manager app to access files on both internal and external storage. I need it to access all of it. I understand I'm not the typical Google user as I'm logged in only in Google Play and Google Drive, which I use for work and not for backing up stuff. However if they turn Android into iOS maybe I could finally buy an iPhone SE when the last small factor Android phone dies. Not really, because that would leave me with a much more closed down environment. Alternatives? Maybe a Linux phone if there will be something around, but I'll have to keep using an Android anyway, so going around with two phones, which is worse. What Google should do is give an option to lift all walls between applications (or root the phone). Void warranty and the likes, it's fine for me. I'm replacing all closed source apps from untrusted parties with open source ones anyway.
- semi-extrinsic 8y ago
  > This means that I need synchthing to access all those folders. FWIW Google Photos does exactly this. It even scans your directories and pops up a prompt "Hey, I found a new folder with images, want me to back it up?". I really wonder how this will turn out...
  - massivecali 8y ago
    Is there such thing as robot.txt for folders that could be implemented by programs/apps? There are plenty of things that create folders of thumbnails, ui/ux sprites, etc.
    - Roujo 8y ago
      On Android, you can put a file called ".nomedia" in those folders to achieve this.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
  - m-p-3 8y ago
    They'll grant themselves an exception off course.
    - Ajedi32 8y ago
      Unlikely, since I can't recall any instances of them granting one-off exceptions for their apps in the past. Do you have any evidence that that's the approach they plan to take here, or is this just a lazy accusation backed by nothing but cynicism?
      - jimmaswell 8y ago
        I'm pretty sure they don't hold themselves to their own app store policies (and neither Apple to theirs) and I remember there being a flagrant example but I can't find a reference quickly googling it.
      - zeusk 8y ago
        What else do you think their "PlaystoreFramework" is all about?
  - heelix 8y ago
    I remember when google staged previews on a web page, then asked if I wanted to sync 'that' folder. Near panic until I realized it was not shared.
bluecalm 8y ago
Then make permissions more finely grained and don't give access to your photo folder. I for one want my text editor to have access to everything on the device. Same goes for file explorer.
username223 8y ago
It's ridiculous that we accept that every piece of software we install is malware. A flashlight sells our location data? A text editor scrapes our photos? It doesn't have to be this way.
- LarryDarrell 8y ago
  I think you have nailed the core issue. We've normalized awful behavior on an awful platform and have justified an awful way of monetization. I'm not a smartphone power user (RSS, email, light internet), so I was really hoping FirefoxOS or the Ubuntu phone would generate some traction.
  - joseph8th 8y ago
    Look into Purism Librem 5 with PureOS. They pushed release back to Q3 but it's a very interesting project.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- orf 8y ago
  By all means leave your house unlocked while you’re away, and then complain that human nature shouldn’t be what it is.
  - username223 8y ago
    I assume that the cops don't respond to the regular break-ins where you live, and instead blame you for your locks being too weak.
  - moorhosj 8y ago
    Comparing two things doesn’t automatically make them the same.
- dymk 8y ago
  That's what you get when you live in a world where most people aren't willing to shell out $1.99 for their apps. Developer time isn't free, and these apps are going to be monetized somehow.
barrkel 8y ago
If I wanted iOS, I'd buy an iPhone.
- pjmlp 8y ago
  I would, if they wouldn't cost the same as a laptop and as most Europeans I don't do contracts.
stewbrew 8y ago
In my understanding that is/should be the main difference between internal/external storage. Internal/scoped/private: An app can only read from/write to its own area. External/shared: Everyone can read/write everything.

by devit 8y ago

pmontra 8y ago

I use syncthing to sync files from several folders of my phone (internal app storage) to folders on my laptop (usually as a backup) and viceversa (usually because it's easier to download some files on my laptop, think about GPX tracks). This means that I need synchthing to access all those folders. I also use an open source file manager app to access files on both internal and external storage. I need it to access all of it. I understand I'm not the typical Google user as I'm logged in only in Google Play and Google Drive, which I use for work and not for backing up stuff. However if they turn Android into iOS maybe I could finally buy an iPhone SE when the last small factor Android phone dies. Not really, because that would leave me with a much more closed down environment. Alternatives? Maybe a Linux phone if there will be something around, but I'll have to keep using an Android anyway, so going around with two phones, which is worse. What Google should do is give an option to lift all walls between applications (or root the phone). Void warranty and the likes, it's fine for me. I'm replacing all closed source apps from untrusted parties with open source ones anyway.

semi-extrinsic 8y ago
> This means that I need synchthing to access all those folders. FWIW Google Photos does exactly this. It even scans your directories and pops up a prompt "Hey, I found a new folder with images, want me to back it up?". I really wonder how this will turn out...
- massivecali 8y ago
  Is there such thing as robot.txt for folders that could be implemented by programs/apps? There are plenty of things that create folders of thumbnails, ui/ux sprites, etc.
  - Roujo 8y ago
    On Android, you can put a file called ".nomedia" in those folders to achieve this.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- m-p-3 8y ago
  They'll grant themselves an exception off course.
  - Ajedi32 8y ago
    Unlikely, since I can't recall any instances of them granting one-off exceptions for their apps in the past. Do you have any evidence that that's the approach they plan to take here, or is this just a lazy accusation backed by nothing but cynicism?
    - jimmaswell 8y ago
      I'm pretty sure they don't hold themselves to their own app store policies (and neither Apple to theirs) and I remember there being a flagrant example but I can't find a reference quickly googling it.
    - zeusk 8y ago
      What else do you think their "PlaystoreFramework" is all about?
- heelix 8y ago
  I remember when google staged previews on a web page, then asked if I wanted to sync 'that' folder. Near panic until I realized it was not shared.

bluecalm 8y ago

Then make permissions more finely grained and don't give access to your photo folder. I for one want my text editor to have access to everything on the device. Same goes for file explorer.

username223 8y ago

It's ridiculous that we accept that every piece of software we install is malware. A flashlight sells our location data? A text editor scrapes our photos? It doesn't have to be this way.

LarryDarrell 8y ago
I think you have nailed the core issue. We've normalized awful behavior on an awful platform and have justified an awful way of monetization. I'm not a smartphone power user (RSS, email, light internet), so I was really hoping FirefoxOS or the Ubuntu phone would generate some traction.
- joseph8th 8y ago
  Look into Purism Librem 5 with PureOS. They pushed release back to Q3 but it's a very interesting project.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
orf 8y ago
By all means leave your house unlocked while you’re away, and then complain that human nature shouldn’t be what it is.
- username223 8y ago
  I assume that the cops don't respond to the regular break-ins where you live, and instead blame you for your locks being too weak.
- moorhosj 8y ago
  Comparing two things doesn’t automatically make them the same.
dymk 8y ago
That's what you get when you live in a world where most people aren't willing to shell out $1.99 for their apps. Developer time isn't free, and these apps are going to be monetized somehow.

barrkel 8y ago

If I wanted iOS, I'd buy an iPhone.

pjmlp 8y ago
I would, if they wouldn't cost the same as a laptop and as most Europeans I don't do contracts.

stewbrew 8y ago

In my understanding that is/should be the main difference between internal/external storage. Internal/scoped/private: An app can only read from/write to its own area. External/shared: Everyone can read/write everything.