4 ms·

use cyanogenmod + privacy mode, you can disable what the app can do. for example, you can disable that. app still works, it just gets an empty sms list.

by zobzu 13y ago

beedogs 13y ago
Sure would be nice if someone would jailbreak the iPhone, so we could have these sorts of options in our little walled-gardens too.
- jmreid 13y ago
  Can't you already disable access to Contact, Calendar, Reminders, location, etc per app on the iPhone?
  - comex 13y ago
    Yes. And of course no app can read your text messages in the first place there.
    - JohnTHaller 13y ago
      Well, they could read all that other stuff by default with no warning previously until all sorts of apps abused it. Then Apple had to add in the prompts for things like reading Contacts. I'd imagine the Android devs are working on similar since the list of permissions model is breaking down.
      - deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
  - hoers 13y ago
    Yes you can.
  - mortenjorck 13y ago
    It's not without its own faults (and it used to have some huge gaps, such as address book access), but the iOS privacy model is simply a more user-centered paradigm than on Android. Android apps ask you if you want to update to the new version or stick with the old one indefinitely; privacy settings are non-negotiable. iOS apps ask you as they go: If iOS had an SMS API, Facebook wouldn't need to ask you until you enabled two-factor authentication (assuming that's all they use it for). And you could turn it back off later if you weren't comfortable leaving it on.
- stesch 13y ago
  You don't need to. Apps can't read SMS and for the rest: You get asked for everything and can deny it. On Android it's all or nothing.
- vl 13y ago
  Funny you say that, because iOS already has all these little options. What's better, apps still get installed and users don't have to make this decision upfront. When permission is required for the first time, dialog box pops up, and then you can refuse each permission individually - i.e. you can give Facebook access to location so you can check in, but block access to contacts.
- eknkc 13y ago
  Are you sure that you have an iPhone?
- blueskin_ 13y ago
  The iphone has had fine-grained privacy before App Ops was released and then removed, and I also think before CyanogenMod had Privacy Guard. One of the few good things about the platform.
- runjake 13y ago
  Welcome to two major iOS versions ago. iOS already has privacy controls. Check out Settings->Privacy.
touristtam 13y ago
or MIUI that comes directly with the privacy feature.
dhekir 13y ago
Unfortunately, Cyanogenmod's Privacy Guard does not block everything (e.g. your IMEI is still readable if permission READ_PHONE_STATE is granted). XPrivacy can help in this case, but its UI is quite convoluted.
Maakuth 13y ago
This feature is nowadays called Privacy Guard and it works so well that I have it on by default for all apps. With the exception of apps that actually need to read my contacts (say WhatsApp), I have not had to disable it for any applications and haven't seen any complications. For example Facebook and Twitter apps, which require a whole rainbow of permissions, function just the way they used to. I've never made a lot of use of their location dependent features though and would expect those to suffer from being deprived of GPS data.
- hornetblack 13y ago
  I haven't got round to rooting my droid yet, but my plan is to always tell facebook/twitter/google+ that my current position is directly under the moon/iss/some other satilite. Or maybe I'll trace out "Hello FB" on the Atlantic ocean.
  - dredmorbius 13y ago
    That so needs to be a thing. Though I don't think I'd be tracing out "Hello". Unless you speak Bronx.
- annnnd 13y ago
  This sounds excellent, I can't believe I never tried it yet! Of course, this should be part of core Android, but I guess there is no hope for that (given that Google makes its dough on advertising).
  - blueskin_ 13y ago
    It used to be, called App Ops. It was in for (one?) point release before google promptly withdrew it again after realising that giving people tools to protect their privacy goes against their mission.
    - Maakuth 13y ago
      According to Google [1], it was never meant to ship at that point as it was not ready for general public. There was some compatibility problems with many applications, so that is somewhat believable. [1] http://www.dailytech.com/Google+Removes+App+Ops+Privacy+Control+Feature+from+Android+442/article33936.htm http://www.dailytech.com/Google+Removes+App+Ops+Privacy+Cont...

use cyanogenmod + privacy mode, you can disable what the app can do. for example, you can disable that. app still works, it just gets an empty sms list.

by zobzu 13y ago

use cyanogenmod + privacy mode, you can disable what the app can do. for example, you can disable that. app still works, it just gets an empty sms list.

beedogs 13y ago

Sure would be nice if someone would jailbreak the iPhone, so we could have these sorts of options in our little walled-gardens too.

jmreid 13y ago
Can't you already disable access to Contact, Calendar, Reminders, location, etc per app on the iPhone?
- comex 13y ago
  Yes. And of course no app can read your text messages in the first place there.
  - JohnTHaller 13y ago
    Well, they could read all that other stuff by default with no warning previously until all sorts of apps abused it. Then Apple had to add in the prompts for things like reading Contacts. I'd imagine the Android devs are working on similar since the list of permissions model is breaking down.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
- hoers 13y ago
  Yes you can.
- mortenjorck 13y ago
  It's not without its own faults (and it used to have some huge gaps, such as address book access), but the iOS privacy model is simply a more user-centered paradigm than on Android. Android apps ask you if you want to update to the new version or stick with the old one indefinitely; privacy settings are non-negotiable. iOS apps ask you as they go: If iOS had an SMS API, Facebook wouldn't need to ask you until you enabled two-factor authentication (assuming that's all they use it for). And you could turn it back off later if you weren't comfortable leaving it on.
stesch 13y ago
You don't need to. Apps can't read SMS and for the rest: You get asked for everything and can deny it. On Android it's all or nothing.
vl 13y ago
Funny you say that, because iOS already has all these little options. What's better, apps still get installed and users don't have to make this decision upfront. When permission is required for the first time, dialog box pops up, and then you can refuse each permission individually - i.e. you can give Facebook access to location so you can check in, but block access to contacts.
eknkc 13y ago
Are you sure that you have an iPhone?
blueskin_ 13y ago
The iphone has had fine-grained privacy before App Ops was released and then removed, and I also think before CyanogenMod had Privacy Guard. One of the few good things about the platform.
runjake 13y ago
Welcome to two major iOS versions ago. iOS already has privacy controls. Check out Settings->Privacy.

touristtam 13y ago

or MIUI that comes directly with the privacy feature.

dhekir 13y ago

Unfortunately, Cyanogenmod's Privacy Guard does not block everything (e.g. your IMEI is still readable if permission READ_PHONE_STATE is granted). XPrivacy can help in this case, but its UI is quite convoluted.

Maakuth 13y ago

This feature is nowadays called Privacy Guard and it works so well that I have it on by default for all apps. With the exception of apps that actually need to read my contacts (say WhatsApp), I have not had to disable it for any applications and haven't seen any complications. For example Facebook and Twitter apps, which require a whole rainbow of permissions, function just the way they used to. I've never made a lot of use of their location dependent features though and would expect those to suffer from being deprived of GPS data.

hornetblack 13y ago
I haven't got round to rooting my droid yet, but my plan is to always tell facebook/twitter/google+ that my current position is directly under the moon/iss/some other satilite. Or maybe I'll trace out "Hello FB" on the Atlantic ocean.
- dredmorbius 13y ago
  That so needs to be a thing. Though I don't think I'd be tracing out "Hello". Unless you speak Bronx.
annnnd 13y ago
This sounds excellent, I can't believe I never tried it yet! Of course, this should be part of core Android, but I guess there is no hope for that (given that Google makes its dough on advertising).
- blueskin_ 13y ago
  It used to be, called App Ops. It was in for (one?) point release before google promptly withdrew it again after realising that giving people tools to protect their privacy goes against their mission.
  - Maakuth 13y ago
    According to Google [1], it was never meant to ship at that point as it was not ready for general public. There was some compatibility problems with many applications, so that is somewhat believable. [1] http://www.dailytech.com/Google+Removes+App+Ops+Privacy+Control+Feature+from+Android+442/article33936.htm http://www.dailytech.com/Google+Removes+App+Ops+Privacy+Cont...