5 ms·

Another app that demands my dick pics (storage permission) and refuses to work without

daghamm 2y ago
This is a bit surprising in 2024 (well almost 2025). Android has a really nice API for reducing the need for this permission, and most of it has been around sicnce android 10. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJ3amzJM94 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJ3amzJM94 Maybe the author is not aware of these? How about opening an issue?
- moneytoo 2y ago
  If the non SAF API provides even 1% better performance, it makes sense to use it. Especially for open source emulating software.
  - maccard 2y ago
    Does it in this case?
  - anthk 2y ago
    Ironically Lemuroid doesn't work on Android 8 due to SAF.
- wiseowise 2y ago
  > really nice API Excuse me? SAF is awful and source of constant complaints from developers.
  - pjmlp 2y ago
    Mostly by folks that keep the mindset Android is GNU/Linux, instead of finally getting the point it is a managed OS that happens to use the Linux kernel as implementation detail.
wiseowise 2y ago
How would you do it without storage permission? Win applications generally have dozens to hundreds of files.
- jeroenhd 2y ago
  Android applications can use their own private data directories just fine, you don't need any permission for that. Termux, for instance, can run entire Linux distros without ever being granted storage permissions. They can also request the user for a specific folder to get read/write permissions for (rather than the entire shared storage space). Just requesting full access to the entire shared storage is a lot easier to implement, but it's also not great for privacy and security. Google is trying to crack down on these permissions in the Play Store for this reason. Several apps have been caught extracting location history data from pictures stored in the camera directories already, so it's not a theoretical threat. Unfortunately, app developers have been reluctant to implement the (much better) specific file picker introduced in Android 4.4, but now they're being forced to if the want Google Play access in the future. The scoped storage API has some downsides, though, such as reduced performance. Not really a problem if all you want to do is upload a picture or save a document, but when you're running executables from there you may run into a wall. This can be circumvented by copying the files to the app's private data directory, but people may want to use the selected folder to copy output back to Android, and a copy action obviously doubles the space required at least temporarily. That being said, I believe applications shouldn't refuse to work entirely without full access to every file on the shared storage space. They can ask the user what they want to do if the storage permission is denied rather than refuse to work. Extra unfortunate is that the new file picker Google introduced a few months ago for media selection is absolutely terrible in my opinion (no directory support, just a flat list of images), but some other phone brands offer file pickers of their own.
  - wiseowise 2y ago
    I think both you and I agree that Android's implementation is awful. I don't think it is fair to blame developers because Google is being bad OS steward.
sureglymop 2y ago
On GrapheneOS (an android AOSP fork) there is a "storage scopes" feature such that one can give permission only to select directories or files. I recommend this if you care a lot about this.
- bangaladore 2y ago
  One big plus I found when switching to Apple after using Android phones for 10+ year was essentially always scoping file/photo storage. It seems like a pretty easy thing to do, and I don't know why its not common / not a thing on common Android phones.
  - bramhaag 2y ago
    Since 4-5 years it's also common on Android, but that does not stop malicious and/or incompetent app developers from requesting the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission when not needed.
leshenka 2y ago
oh man i hate when this happens. Same thing on ios, applications want photo access and refuse to use the system photo picker and leave me with a very uncomfortable dilemma. And it's not like only small apps from indie devs that don't know better, it's actually the opposite.
- b112 2y ago
  Even scanning metadata, exif tags can be valuable. So I'm not surprised that larger companies do this.
xnx 2y ago
I blame Android for not providing fake/empty storage to an app when permission is not granted.
- skeledrew 2y ago
  This is asking for trouble when someone accidentally doesn't provide and fails to realize, or deliberately doesn't and have forgotten the choice later on when they may want to.
  - anonymfus 2y ago
    I believe most of the commercial Android phones already have a regular task that resets permissions for unused apps to serve people who gave permissions accidentally or forgotten about them after setting them deliberately.
    - skeledrew 2y ago
      There is something that resets permissions, but only those that were granted and only if the app hasn't been used for a while. I'd find it annoying if I intentionally selected "always" for some given permission in an app I regularly use, only to have it occasionally reset itself. I already find the battery optimization notifications for apps I want running in the background annoying enough.
- n144q 2y ago
  You think that kind of solution is understandable for an average user, like an uncle who has little computer knowledge?
  - b112 2y ago
    Should we target the lowest common denominator? Should remove all books above a grade 10 reading level, since most people can barely read?
    - deleted 2y ago

This is a bit surprising in 2024 (well almost 2025). Android has a really nice API for reducing the need for this permission, and most of it has been around sicnce android 10. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJ3amzJM94 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJ3amzJM94 Maybe the author is not aware of these? How about opening an issue?

moneytoo 2y ago
If the non SAF API provides even 1% better performance, it makes sense to use it. Especially for open source emulating software.
- maccard 2y ago
  Does it in this case?
- anthk 2y ago
  Ironically Lemuroid doesn't work on Android 8 due to SAF.
wiseowise 2y ago
> really nice API Excuse me? SAF is awful and source of constant complaints from developers.
- pjmlp 2y ago
  Mostly by folks that keep the mindset Android is GNU/Linux, instead of finally getting the point it is a managed OS that happens to use the Linux kernel as implementation detail.

wiseowise 2y ago

How would you do it without storage permission? Win applications generally have dozens to hundreds of files.

jeroenhd 2y ago
Android applications can use their own private data directories just fine, you don't need any permission for that. Termux, for instance, can run entire Linux distros without ever being granted storage permissions. They can also request the user for a specific folder to get read/write permissions for (rather than the entire shared storage space). Just requesting full access to the entire shared storage is a lot easier to implement, but it's also not great for privacy and security. Google is trying to crack down on these permissions in the Play Store for this reason. Several apps have been caught extracting location history data from pictures stored in the camera directories already, so it's not a theoretical threat. Unfortunately, app developers have been reluctant to implement the (much better) specific file picker introduced in Android 4.4, but now they're being forced to if the want Google Play access in the future. The scoped storage API has some downsides, though, such as reduced performance. Not really a problem if all you want to do is upload a picture or save a document, but when you're running executables from there you may run into a wall. This can be circumvented by copying the files to the app's private data directory, but people may want to use the selected folder to copy output back to Android, and a copy action obviously doubles the space required at least temporarily. That being said, I believe applications shouldn't refuse to work entirely without full access to every file on the shared storage space. They can ask the user what they want to do if the storage permission is denied rather than refuse to work. Extra unfortunate is that the new file picker Google introduced a few months ago for media selection is absolutely terrible in my opinion (no directory support, just a flat list of images), but some other phone brands offer file pickers of their own.
- wiseowise 2y ago
  I think both you and I agree that Android's implementation is awful. I don't think it is fair to blame developers because Google is being bad OS steward.

sureglymop 2y ago

On GrapheneOS (an android AOSP fork) there is a "storage scopes" feature such that one can give permission only to select directories or files. I recommend this if you care a lot about this.

bangaladore 2y ago
One big plus I found when switching to Apple after using Android phones for 10+ year was essentially always scoping file/photo storage. It seems like a pretty easy thing to do, and I don't know why its not common / not a thing on common Android phones.
- bramhaag 2y ago
  Since 4-5 years it's also common on Android, but that does not stop malicious and/or incompetent app developers from requesting the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission when not needed.

leshenka 2y ago

oh man i hate when this happens. Same thing on ios, applications want photo access and refuse to use the system photo picker and leave me with a very uncomfortable dilemma. And it's not like only small apps from indie devs that don't know better, it's actually the opposite.

b112 2y ago
Even scanning metadata, exif tags can be valuable. So I'm not surprised that larger companies do this.

xnx 2y ago

I blame Android for not providing fake/empty storage to an app when permission is not granted.

skeledrew 2y ago
This is asking for trouble when someone accidentally doesn't provide and fails to realize, or deliberately doesn't and have forgotten the choice later on when they may want to.
- anonymfus 2y ago
  I believe most of the commercial Android phones already have a regular task that resets permissions for unused apps to serve people who gave permissions accidentally or forgotten about them after setting them deliberately.
  - skeledrew 2y ago
    There is something that resets permissions, but only those that were granted and only if the app hasn't been used for a while. I'd find it annoying if I intentionally selected "always" for some given permission in an app I regularly use, only to have it occasionally reset itself. I already find the battery optimization notifications for apps I want running in the background annoying enough.
n144q 2y ago
You think that kind of solution is understandable for an average user, like an uncle who has little computer knowledge?
- b112 2y ago
  Should we target the lowest common denominator? Should remove all books above a grade 10 reading level, since most people can barely read?
  - deleted 2y ago