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It would also be good if users could install the app but without approving the full set of permissions. Developers would have to catch an exception, but it's wo

It would also be good if users could install the app but without approving the full set of permissions. Developers would have to catch an exception, but it's worth it. (Supposedly with one of the recent Android releases this feature was planned and made it to some users but Google quickly reverted.)

twrkit 12y ago
That's how Apple handles the iOS permission model, as I understand
- andymcsherry 12y ago
  iOS really has 3 levels of access for things like this. For the most sensitive things like location, contacts and photos, it prompts for user permission. There's a lower category for things like background processing, you declare to Apple that you want to use them, and they are enabled by default. Some of them can be disabled by the user after the fact. Then, there's things like internet usage which there is no permission system for.
  - TheCoreh 12y ago
    Because of iOS's sandboxing, it's really hard for apps to get info outside of their own "container" of sorts, so it doesn't matter much if they can access the Internet. Keyboards from third parties are an obvious exception to this, so these require explicit permission to access the Internet.
    - rahimnathwani 12y ago
      > so it doesn't matter much if they can access the Internet Unless you have a limited cellular data allowance, or pay for data by actual usage. iOS allows you to disable cellular data for certain apps. It would be great if it could somehow figure out when I'm using a mi-fi when abroad, and treat that wifi access point as 'cellular'.
      - andrewaylett 12y ago
        Android can be told to treat certain APs as limited usage, which means they're not used by apps that are set to WiFi only, or for which you've disabled mobile data.
bad_user 12y ago
The system in iOS is still not enough because the app knows if you declined, so it can keep asking you ad-nauseam until you either accept or until you uninstall the app. For example Facebook's messenger asks for being able to show notifications every time you load the UI. It would have been good if there was a way to lie to the app. For example if it wants access to your contacts, it could get a blank list. Of course, it is much easier to not use such apps in the first place. Uber is not alone in doing this and personally I take it as a signal of how I'll be treated as a customer.
- joshuahutt 12y ago
  On rooted Android phones, there's XPrivacy, which can do just that--send fake data to an app. https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

twrkit 12y ago

That's how Apple handles the iOS permission model, as I understand

andymcsherry 12y ago
iOS really has 3 levels of access for things like this. For the most sensitive things like location, contacts and photos, it prompts for user permission. There's a lower category for things like background processing, you declare to Apple that you want to use them, and they are enabled by default. Some of them can be disabled by the user after the fact. Then, there's things like internet usage which there is no permission system for.
- TheCoreh 12y ago
  Because of iOS's sandboxing, it's really hard for apps to get info outside of their own "container" of sorts, so it doesn't matter much if they can access the Internet. Keyboards from third parties are an obvious exception to this, so these require explicit permission to access the Internet.
  - rahimnathwani 12y ago
    > so it doesn't matter much if they can access the Internet Unless you have a limited cellular data allowance, or pay for data by actual usage. iOS allows you to disable cellular data for certain apps. It would be great if it could somehow figure out when I'm using a mi-fi when abroad, and treat that wifi access point as 'cellular'.
    - andrewaylett 12y ago
      Android can be told to treat certain APs as limited usage, which means they're not used by apps that are set to WiFi only, or for which you've disabled mobile data.

bad_user 12y ago

The system in iOS is still not enough because the app knows if you declined, so it can keep asking you ad-nauseam until you either accept or until you uninstall the app. For example Facebook's messenger asks for being able to show notifications every time you load the UI. It would have been good if there was a way to lie to the app. For example if it wants access to your contacts, it could get a blank list. Of course, it is much easier to not use such apps in the first place. Uber is not alone in doing this and personally I take it as a signal of how I'll be treated as a customer.

joshuahutt 12y ago
On rooted Android phones, there's XPrivacy, which can do just that--send fake data to an app. https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy