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> just as with any app not found in Play Store I would recommend caution with apps from the store too. Not only are many predatory practices not disallowed, ou

> just as with any app not found in Play Store I would recommend caution with apps from the store too. Not only are many predatory practices not disallowed, outright malware can and does slip through review. The advice is the same as ever when it comes to computers: don't run programs you don't trust, and set your bar of trust high.

aucisson_masque 2y ago
Agree, the play store isn't secure one bit. We hear enough story how Google removes legit app without reason, using automated process, to know that there is at least as much malicious app that goes through being undetected.
- Quiark 2y ago
  while your app gets rejected when there is a button that does nothing :D
nox101 2y ago
it's worse than that imo. People claim the web is dangerous because it runs untrusted code but apps do the same with auto updates from stores and that the majority of apps are just webviews running code from the net but without the same level of sandboxing as a browser
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
furyofantares 2y ago
Alright, well I don't think I personally know anyone who has ended up with malware on their phone. I'm sure it could be better but it seems alright. I'm not gonna advise everyone I know to stress out about it by trying to have a high bar of trust and evaluate every app they wanna try only to have the exact same result they've had for years. The advice is absolutely not the same as it's always been - it would be weird if the advice from the early aughts, when it was common to be affected by malware or viruses, was the same as the advice now when it's rare.
- shakna 2y ago
  You knowing someone personally is different from the objective millions of infections [0] that we've seen in the real world. [0] https://www.tomsguide.com/news/these-35-malicious-android-apps-have-infected-millions-delete-them-now https://www.tomsguide.com/news/these-35-malicious-android-ap...
  - furyofantares 2y ago
    Nevermind that being downloaded a million times doesn't mean by a million people, as scammers download their own app to boost numbers -- a million is what, 1 in a few thousand smartphone users? I'd love it to be zero but the amount of vigilance warranted has gotta be a lot less than it was in the past unless there's some argument that magnitude of harm has gone up by a massive amount while probability has gone down by the same amount. Which, idunno, maybe that argument can be made actually. Also I guess 2001 felt unsafe to visit trusted websites, so the advice upthread was already a bit lessened.
    - trehalose 2y ago
      > Nevermind that being downloaded a million times doesn't mean by a million people, as scammers download their own app to boost numbers -- a million is what, 1 in a few thousand smartphone users? Isn't this cause for people to be more vigilant? You can't even trust apps that are vouched for by large numbers of users (with these large numbers being not mere claims on a shady website, but statistics officially certified by the authority of the app store).
      - furyofantares 2y ago
        Sure, it means you can't trust download count. But 2 million downloads among 35 apps is nothing when it comes to evaluating your personal risk. There's like 50,000 times that many apps downloaded every year. The point is the odds of you installing this app are very low. And if those numbers are half fraudulent then the odds are half of that already very small number.

aucisson_masque 2y ago

Agree, the play store isn't secure one bit. We hear enough story how Google removes legit app without reason, using automated process, to know that there is at least as much malicious app that goes through being undetected.

Quiark 2y ago
while your app gets rejected when there is a button that does nothing :D

nox101 2y ago

it's worse than that imo. People claim the web is dangerous because it runs untrusted code but apps do the same with auto updates from stores and that the majority of apps are just webviews running code from the net but without the same level of sandboxing as a browser

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

furyofantares 2y ago

Alright, well I don't think I personally know anyone who has ended up with malware on their phone. I'm sure it could be better but it seems alright. I'm not gonna advise everyone I know to stress out about it by trying to have a high bar of trust and evaluate every app they wanna try only to have the exact same result they've had for years. The advice is absolutely not the same as it's always been - it would be weird if the advice from the early aughts, when it was common to be affected by malware or viruses, was the same as the advice now when it's rare.

shakna 2y ago
You knowing someone personally is different from the objective millions of infections [0] that we've seen in the real world. [0] https://www.tomsguide.com/news/these-35-malicious-android-apps-have-infected-millions-delete-them-now https://www.tomsguide.com/news/these-35-malicious-android-ap...
- furyofantares 2y ago
  Nevermind that being downloaded a million times doesn't mean by a million people, as scammers download their own app to boost numbers -- a million is what, 1 in a few thousand smartphone users? I'd love it to be zero but the amount of vigilance warranted has gotta be a lot less than it was in the past unless there's some argument that magnitude of harm has gone up by a massive amount while probability has gone down by the same amount. Which, idunno, maybe that argument can be made actually. Also I guess 2001 felt unsafe to visit trusted websites, so the advice upthread was already a bit lessened.
  - trehalose 2y ago
    > Nevermind that being downloaded a million times doesn't mean by a million people, as scammers download their own app to boost numbers -- a million is what, 1 in a few thousand smartphone users? Isn't this cause for people to be more vigilant? You can't even trust apps that are vouched for by large numbers of users (with these large numbers being not mere claims on a shady website, but statistics officially certified by the authority of the app store).
    - furyofantares 2y ago
      Sure, it means you can't trust download count. But 2 million downloads among 35 apps is nothing when it comes to evaluating your personal risk. There's like 50,000 times that many apps downloaded every year. The point is the odds of you installing this app are very low. And if those numbers are half fraudulent then the odds are half of that already very small number.