4 ms·

What I don't get about app permissions is that it's all or nothing. You see these apps and they require access to just about everything. As if I'm going to inst

by pan69 13y ago

What I don't get about app permissions is that it's all or nothing. You see these apps and they require access to just about everything. As if I'm going to install that? Not. However, it should be that an app asks for permissions and as a user I can tick or untick each individual permission. I.e. does this or that weather app really need access to my contacts? Nope. So why can't just untick that permission? Permissions on apps seem to be pretty much broken.

oakwhiz 13y ago
What would be neat is a way to "virtualize" permissions. Example: An app asks for GPS. You don't want to give out your location but you still want to use the app. So you lie to the app about your location while still sending your real location to your other apps.
- mappu 13y ago
  "pdroid" allows this on android - it's built into several custom roms.
blhack 13y ago
It's harder to program for them. You have to code in different cases for "I have this permission" and "I don't have this permission". Consider potentially lots of: if session.gps: show_ads(location) else: show_ads(general) -- but for every feature of the application that could be using extended permissions. -- This flashlight app is a bad example, and I'm not saying this is an excuse, but I think this is the rationale that is generally used.
- eck 13y ago
  No, you don't. In fact, you couldn't even tell an app that it doesn't have permission, because then the stupid flashlight app will do something like, "let me see your location, otherwise i can only be 50% bright!" Obviously the writers of the app want that info. Instead, it thinks it has a GPS, but you've decided to tell it that, for example, its "GPS" will always be e.g. times square or perhaps something a bit more realistic, but not real.
  - schneidmaster 13y ago
    Eh. I get what you're saying but I think there's some terrible downsides to this approach. For example, what if the app is supposed to direct you to the nearest hospital, and the user denies its location permissions and then forgets and reopens it later or something? If the app doesn't know whether it has permission (or, worse, thinks it's getting accurate data when it's not), it would be impossible to program reliable error functionality. If developers try to coerce you into giving extra permissions, hopefully the average user will be smart about it and just delete the app. At any rate, your solution definitely sounds like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
robert_ak 13y ago
It doesn't have to be that way. In BlackBerry phones, the app access is very granular, e.g. I can choose to run Google Maps but deny the app's access to my location.
- Aardwolf 13y ago
  So you mean you don't use GPS in Google Maps on your phone? Showing where you are in some city or other location is the best feature of it, what use does it even have without your location? A flashlight app needing to read your contacts is obviously ridiculous, but a map needing your location is rather handy.
  - jessaustin 13y ago
    It's common to view maps of places in which the viewer is not currently located. In general, different people have different privacy preferences.
kumarm 13y ago
Since Android 4.3 you can deny (individual) permissions for apps using App ops (There are apps that let you check which app's are using a permission and deny them the permission). I Know it makes dev's life difficult but the capability does exist since Android 4.3.
- nobodyshere 13y ago
  That is not really relevant since 4.3+ versions are not on vast majority of devices. Only hopes are on Cyanogen.
gala8y 13y ago
>However, it should be that an app asks for permissions and as a user I can tick or untick each individual permission. This ticking/unticking just recently got much easier with XPrivacy app. It still needs root to install the Xposed framework. [0] https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.bokhorst.xprivacy.installer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.bokhorst.x... [2] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2320783 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2320783 Edit: I see Groxx already posted about XPrivacy two hours ago.
ToastyMallows 13y ago
I've rooted my Android phone and I've been using LBE Privacy Guard that basically lets you do just what you describe. I actually just a got a new phone (Nexus 5), and the app is crashing on open right now, I imagine because I'm using KitKat or something like that. But that's besides the point.

by pan69 13y ago

oakwhiz 13y ago

What would be neat is a way to "virtualize" permissions. Example: An app asks for GPS. You don't want to give out your location but you still want to use the app. So you lie to the app about your location while still sending your real location to your other apps.

mappu 13y ago
"pdroid" allows this on android - it's built into several custom roms.

blhack 13y ago

It's harder to program for them. You have to code in different cases for "I have this permission" and "I don't have this permission". Consider potentially lots of: if session.gps: show_ads(location) else: show_ads(general) -- but for every feature of the application that could be using extended permissions. -- This flashlight app is a bad example, and I'm not saying this is an excuse, but I think this is the rationale that is generally used.

eck 13y ago
No, you don't. In fact, you couldn't even tell an app that it doesn't have permission, because then the stupid flashlight app will do something like, "let me see your location, otherwise i can only be 50% bright!" Obviously the writers of the app want that info. Instead, it thinks it has a GPS, but you've decided to tell it that, for example, its "GPS" will always be e.g. times square or perhaps something a bit more realistic, but not real.
- schneidmaster 13y ago
  Eh. I get what you're saying but I think there's some terrible downsides to this approach. For example, what if the app is supposed to direct you to the nearest hospital, and the user denies its location permissions and then forgets and reopens it later or something? If the app doesn't know whether it has permission (or, worse, thinks it's getting accurate data when it's not), it would be impossible to program reliable error functionality. If developers try to coerce you into giving extra permissions, hopefully the average user will be smart about it and just delete the app. At any rate, your solution definitely sounds like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

robert_ak 13y ago

It doesn't have to be that way. In BlackBerry phones, the app access is very granular, e.g. I can choose to run Google Maps but deny the app's access to my location.

Aardwolf 13y ago
So you mean you don't use GPS in Google Maps on your phone? Showing where you are in some city or other location is the best feature of it, what use does it even have without your location? A flashlight app needing to read your contacts is obviously ridiculous, but a map needing your location is rather handy.
- jessaustin 13y ago
  It's common to view maps of places in which the viewer is not currently located. In general, different people have different privacy preferences.

kumarm 13y ago

Since Android 4.3 you can deny (individual) permissions for apps using App ops (There are apps that let you check which app's are using a permission and deny them the permission). I Know it makes dev's life difficult but the capability does exist since Android 4.3.

nobodyshere 13y ago
That is not really relevant since 4.3+ versions are not on vast majority of devices. Only hopes are on Cyanogen.

gala8y 13y ago

>However, it should be that an app asks for permissions and as a user I can tick or untick each individual permission. This ticking/unticking just recently got much easier with XPrivacy app. It still needs root to install the Xposed framework. [0] https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.bokhorst.xprivacy.installer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.bokhorst.x... [2] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2320783 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2320783 Edit: I see Groxx already posted about XPrivacy two hours ago.

ToastyMallows 13y ago

I've rooted my Android phone and I've been using LBE Privacy Guard that basically lets you do just what you describe. I actually just a got a new phone (Nexus 5), and the app is crashing on open right now, I imagine because I'm using KitKat or something like that. But that's besides the point.