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Google Play has hidden applications permissions

by itvision·4y ago·17 comments·view on hn ↗
In an unusual turn of events the Google Play app has stopped showing the permissions for apps and instead has replaced this very valuable source of information about the app behavior and capabilities with "Data Safety" which barely shows anything technical and instead gives some vague interpretation of what the app does with your data.

Earlier you could disable automatic updates and always know what new permissions a certain update brings - this is no longer possible or available.

This is especially upsetting in terms of installing new apps. What do they do? What do they use?

For instance I've never installed apps which require "Find accounts on the device" (android.permission.GET_ACCOUNTS) because the permission allows an app to find all the accounts on my device (normally an email addresses, including your primary google account, but that can be anything including your phone number, unique IDs in various services) and do anything with them.

17 comments
> android.permission.GET_ACCOUNTS

This is a "dangerous" permission, and thus must be prompted for at runtime, giving you the opportunity to use the app without granting that permission.

Great find, totally unaware about this.

The permissions are still available to view on web version of play store.

For example: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.offlinefir...

How to view: https://imgur.com/a/BPUSXJS

The website has been updated and permissions are now hidden everywhere.

WTF are you doing Google??

GP can and does install "admin apps" such as Find My Device that can remotely control your phone. They can remotely enable any permissions they like. And no, uou can't opt out of those "helpful" admin apps because they aren't for your benefit.

As more and more people are realising the value of privacy, the Big Goog is trying to obfuscate how much data it collects and how much data it allows others to collect.

Go to Settings > Apps > Advanced > Special app access > Device admin apps and turn off the ones you don't want, ezpz. If you want to be reasonably sure Google's not pushing stuff to your phone do that, then disable google play services. Some apps will break.
The admin app will be re-enabled secretly within a month.
You cannot disable Google Play.
You can, you just have to remove it from the list of admin apps first.
Seems like idiocracy for sure, but what can (or should) we do about it?
Just stop using products by Google, at least the more dangerous ones. Definitely not easy, yet still possible.
Stallman was right
is right. Still alive.
"was" doesn't always mean that the subject of the sentence has died.

e.g. "I was right" doesn't mean I'm a reincarnation/zombie referring to my past life. Same applies to "He/she was right", or "Stallman was right".

And pertinently hasn't changed his mind.
He's not quite as principled as I'd like when it comes to certain things. IIRC he doesn't want people being given access to ECUs because they could modify them in ways that increase emissions.
Yes, noticed this too. I think the new Google Play interface is still in A/B testing... but it's coming
One needs two devices now.. a mininal dumb phone and a smart phone for app use only.