Android Permissions

[jaypeecee]

Hi Folks,

Just recently, I've been giving some thought to Android permissions.

Since I bought my first Android device just over a year ago, I have installed many apps without really considering the required permissions that go with them. The official advice is always to study the app permissions before installing but I wonder how many people do this. After all, this is easier said than done.

There now appears to be more apps on Google Play Store aimed at bringing our attention to this important topic. Such apps often explain what a particular permission enables the app to do. But, how do I determine if an app needs to perform that particular action?

I would be interested to hear if anyone has any suggestions about weighing up whether or not an app can be trusted before installing it. Are you able to shed some light on this grey area? Do you have any tips that we could all put to use?

JPC

 

[jefboyardee]

There now appears to be more apps on Google Play Store aimed at bringing our attention to this important topic.

I find that when app hunting on my PC, AppBrain does a better job of warning us about stuff like that. It also has a much better way of displaying apps.

There

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi jefboyardee,

Thanks for the feedback.

I'll take another look at AppBrain. Haven't used it for a long time.

I use Addons Detector to flag up ad-enabled apps amongst other things. It does this when the app is being installed.

JPC

 

[Petrah]

There now appears to be more apps on Google Play Store aimed at bringing our attention to this important topic. Such apps often explain what a particular permission enables the app to do. But, how do I determine if an app needs to perform that particular action?

I would be interested to hear if anyone has any suggestions about weighing up whether or not an app can be trusted before installing it. Are you able to shed some light on this grey area? Do you have any tips that we could all put to use?

JPC

Perhaps this stickied post can shed some light on this for you; http://androidforums.com/android-ap...explained-security-tips-avoiding-malware.html

As for weighing things up, I normally read through the comments for an app and see what others have to say about it. I also look carefully for weather or not the developer has made it easy to contact them without having the app installed (link to their site from Google Play, or a working email address). I tend to steer clear from apps where the author has none of that information readily available.

 

[jaypeecee]

Perhaps this stickied post can shed some light on this for you; http://androidforums.com/android-ap...explained-security-tips-avoiding-malware.html

As for weighing things up, I normally read through the comments for an app and see what others have to say about it. I also look carefully for weather or not the developer has made it easy to contact them without having the app installed (link to their site from Google Play, or a working email address). I tend to steer clear from apps where the author has none of that information readily available.

Hi Petrah,

Thanks for your reply.

I read the stickied post and it was helpful.

You have made some good suggestions and I will make use of them.

JPC