Help Is it safe to use no reviews app?

[spman]

Hello,

In google playstore,
1. Is it safe to use apps that has high downloads but 0 reviews?
2. Why these apps below have over 100K downloads but 0 reviews? Are they fake downloads numbers or reviews disabled or other reason?
3. In playstore I see other apps by other developers that are 0 reviews too, are they safe to download to use?
4. Is it safe to use the apps below?

Example:
100K+Downloads Mi Status Bar - Apps on Google Play
100K+Downloads Quick Settings for Android - Apps on Google Play
100K+Downloads Soft Keys - Home Back Button - Apps on Google Play
100K+Downloads Emoji Battery Status Bar - Apps on Google Play
These 4 apps above have over 100K downloads but 0 reviews, from Android Apps by My Lan on Google Play

Thanks

 

[Hadron]

Well some of the worst malware has had lots of positive reviews, either fake or from people who haven't realised that their photo filter app or whatever is up to no good, so having reviews isn't a guarantee that the app is OK.

But I've just opened those 4 Play Store links in a browser (not logged in to Google) and 2 of those 4 do have reviews:

Mi Status Bar: 3.7 star average from 1.06k reviews
Emoji Battery Status Bar: 4.2 stars from 483 reviews

Why the other 2 have no reviews I don't know. But if you have doubts about an app, you can usually find an alternative.

 

[spman]

Is it safe to download an app if it says these sentences:

No data shared with third parties
No data collected
Data is encrypted in transit

 

[ocnbrze]

Is it safe to download an app if it says these sentences:

No data shared with third parties
No data collected
Data is encrypted in transit

those are all good things. ....especially the encryption in transit. plus you never want any apps to be shared by a 3rd party. and an app that does not collect data is ok in my book.

 

[Hadron]

and an app that does not collect data is ok in my book.

Not collecting data is a good thing. But logically an app that does not collect data could still be, for example, a trojan malware downloader(*). Not wanting to spread FUD, just noting that questions of app safety are different from the privacy policy.

(Also, do Google actually test that these privacy statements are true, or just take the dev's word for it?).

Seriously, those are all good things. But in the end any app install requires a degree of trust, and I cannot say that anything it says in the Play Store is a guarantee of safety (though the incidence of malware in the Play Store is low), because a bad actor will by definition be trying to cheat the rules.

(*) Of course being able to download malware isn't the same as being able to install it - just don't grant any app you don't trust the permission to install other apps (and be suspicious of any app that has that capability for no obvious reason).

 

[Rob]

While it might be tempting to download a mobile app with over 100,000 downloads, the absence of reviews is a colossal red flag: Is it safe to use mobile apps that have 100k+ downloads but 0 reviews? – Quickapedia


An app with a substantial number of downloads but zero reviews may be cleverly disguised malware or a hastily developed app lacking user feedback due to suppression or manipulation.

Always prioritize apps with robust user feedback and ratings to safeguard your data and device integrity!

 

[AugieTN]

@spman Don't go app crazy. Some apps, and too many can slow your phone down.

I only have a couple of apps, like my credit union because their webpage isn't real mobile friendly.

 

[Hadron]

I wonder how many apps it takes to slow a phone down? Because I have literally hundreds, always have, and never really found a problem (this includes alternative apps for various functions as well, e.g. there is no one perfect calendar app, I actively use 3 different mapping/navigation apps for different purposes, etc). I really could prune them a bit, as some aren't used often, but I'm not short of space so as long as they don't cause me problems it's never my top priority...

(Indeed typing this has re-ignited the old "I wonder whether there are any new calendars worth looking at?" urge. Though like phones themselves, I have the impression that that sort of development plateaued a while ago...).

 

[Clementine_3]

Indeed typing this has re-ignited the old "I wonder whether there are any new calendars worth looking at?" urge.

It's weather apps for me. Much like mayonnaise you can't really ever have too much or too many.

 

[Hadron]

It's weather apps for me. Much like mayonnaise you can't really ever have too much or too many.

The drawback is that if you have one weather app you know what you expect the weather to be. If you have more than one you are never sure...

(I've got several).

 

[Clementine_3]

If you have more than one you are never sure...

Since meteorologists are never right anyway there is no 'sure'.
Some have better alerts or radar or features or layouts than others so all combined I have the equivalent of one good weather app for the five locations I watch. Besides, I just can't help myself!