QuickPic sold to Cheetah Mobile

Crashdamage · Aug 29, 2015

Just so QuickPic users know, be aware that this fine app that so many of us have relied on for years has been sold to Cheetah Mobile. No doubt they will soon do Bad Things with it, more about that below.

So unfortunately, I must recommend that you uninstall QuikPic and use an alternative app. I am using Google Photos for now. I'll be checking out others and post information on any that seem worthy of serious consideration.

For anyone who hasn't heard, Cheetah Mobile is the company responsible for software notorious for putting up nag ads and scary-sounding false alarms about various supposed threats to your security.

Worse than that, they collect, upload and sell your information to others without your knowledge, to be used for targeted ads and who knows what else. Their CEO said that they are not a software company, they are a data information company. That's not good.

Cheetah Mobile software should be considered to be malware.

Cheetah Mobile apps Include all the 'CM' series of apps such as CM Security, plus Cleaner Master and more. Before installing any app, check the permissions and who is the vendor.

Edit: For more information about Cheetah Mobile and why you should be worried about their business practices, please, read this post #43 from farther down this thread and the post linked within it. Link to that post also below.
WARNING! The post in the 2nd link below really is a very scary read if you use any Cheetah Mobile software!

http://androidforums.com/threads/quickpic-sold-to-cheetah-mobile.938495/page-2#post-7067045
http://androidforums.com/threads/cache-cleaner.923369/#post-7001396

You might also want to read these for even more information:

http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/6934991
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=530007

Thom · Aug 29, 2015

Thank you for the heads up.

Now uninstalled.

I always wondered why Cheetahs Mobile software was distributed by Google through Play Store.

... Thom

KOLIO · Aug 29, 2015

Anyone got the .apk before the sellout?
Wouldn't that work w/o updating & be free of the Cheetah Mobile B.S. ?

Thom · Aug 29, 2015

How would you ever know ... for sure?

... Thom

Crashdamage · Aug 29, 2015

Even if you nabbed an unsullied version. sooner or later it will fail to install or run properly on newer versions of the OS. Might as well make a clean break now and get used to using some else.

KOLIO · Aug 29, 2015

I really don't know,that's a couple pay grades above mine.
If the apps storage is cloud-based,I suppose that opens up the possibility of being snooped-on by CM ,whether the .apk is pre or post CM.
But,if everything is local/device stored w/o any data connectivity between the app & CM,I'd think you'd be OK.

Man,things have changed:
Once upon a time,when one used the CM abbreviation,it meant only one thing: CyanogenMod.
Now,a bit of angst & indigestion is triggered................... :mad:

El Presidente · Aug 29, 2015

That's rubbish news.

Can anyone recommend a decent replacement app (aside from Focus & Google Photos).

Edit - Just found a nice one called Pikture - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.diune.pictures&hl=en_GB

Crashdamage · Aug 29, 2015

KOLIO said:
If the apps storage is cloud-based,I suppose that opens up the possibility of being snooped-on by CM ,whether the .apk is pre or post CM.
But,if everything is local/device stored w/o any data connectivity between the app & CM,I'd think you'd be OK.

??? I don't get it, but maybe I'm just slow today. What difference does that make? If CM puts QuickPic up to nefarious activty - which they certainly will - QuikPic will read your locally stored data even easier than cloud stored data. No data connection required to read local data. Save and upload to CM servers next time a data connection is available.

mikedt · Aug 29, 2015

Thom said:
Thank you for the heads up.

Now uninstalled.

I always wondered why Cheetahs Mobile software was distributed by Google through Play Store.

... Thom

CM's software comes with every flagship Samsung now...$$$$¥¥¥¥

They're a "data information company", FWIW Google is a data information company, they make much of their money from data mining and ads.

Mikestony · Aug 29, 2015

El Presidente said:
That's rubbish news.

....snipped quote

???? What is rubbish news? The CM takeover of QuikPic? :thinking:

El Presidente · Aug 29, 2015

Yep.

Cheetah Mobile are a bunch of Theiving Charlatans and QuickPic was my go to gallery app.

Lordvincent 90 · Aug 29, 2015

@El Presedente I just tried that app out. I like the ui, but it's missing an important feature that kept me with quickpic for so long. Excluding folders from the gallery. I have ~15 GB of music on my phone all of which has all album art.

I know i can use a .nomedia file to hide the folder entirely, but then my music player can't see it any more.

I've been looking through the play store for the last few days and I just can't find anything with all the same features of quickpic

I'm also open to any suggestions people have for a decent alternative

El Presidente · Aug 29, 2015

Yeah, it doesn't have that which is unfortunate, but I just rearranged it so the folders I don't want to see are pushed towards the bottom of the list.

Mikestony · Aug 29, 2015

El Presidente said:
Yep.

Cheetah Mobile are a bunch of Theiving Charlatans and QuickPic was my go to gallery app.

Ah, ok...I read that a different way. As in, "rubbish"---not true/fake. When you meant, "rubbish"---sucks, bull, crappy, etc.

KOLIO · Aug 29, 2015

Crashdamage said:
??? I don't get it, but maybe I'm just slow today. What difference does that make? If CM puts QuickPic up to nefarious activty - which they certainly will - QuikPic will read your locally stored data even easier than cloud stored data. No data connection required to read local data. Save and upload to CM servers next time a data connection is available.

No you're not slow,not at all. :thumbsupdroid:

Myself on the other hand,a distinct possibility on my best days. :paperbagdroid:

I'm just curious about the whole thing,I don't even have the app,or never have.
I'm not up on the past or present permissions of this app,but,I assumed if it didn't ask any that would permit them to carry on their data mining,then,I just figured it would be safe/disconnected from them.
I'm not the most knowledgeable person on these matters.
Another thought:
If rooted,couldn't you use a permission manager application/Xposed module w/a pre-CM version of the app & be OK?

KOLIO · Aug 29, 2015

El Presidente said:
That's rubbish news.

Mikestony said:
What is rubbish news? The CM takeover of QuikPic?

El Presidente said:
Yep. Cheetah Mobile are a bunch of Thieving Charlatans and QuickPic was my go to gallery app.

Mikestony said:
Ah, ok...I read that a different way. As in, "rubbish"---not true/fake. When you meant, "rubbish"---sucks, bull, crappy, etc.

Rubbish = Malarkey

Crashdamage · Aug 29, 2015

If rooted I suppose you could restrict permissions. But that doesn't help the 99% of people running Android who are not rooted.

KOLIO · Aug 29, 2015

Crashdamage said:
If rooted I suppose you could restrict permissions. But that doesn't help the 99% of people running Android who are not rooted.

Absolutely! Most haven't an idea,not talking down to the 99%,but,just sad that something like this flies under the radar to most,w/o so much as a WTF from anyone,especially the Android News sites.
They may touch on it for one small article,but,I'd like to see some of them band together & call out CM on their garbage.....er,Malarkey

El Presidente · Aug 29, 2015

I just left a 1 star review, I'd encourage everyone else to do the same.

EarlyMon · Aug 29, 2015

Here's the June 18th final update of QuickPic from Q-Supreme -

http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/q-supreme-team/quickpic/quickpic-4-5-2-2-android-apk-download/

I've verified that it's the same as my backup from June 22nd, so per usual, apkmirror didn't lie.

You have to allow unknown sources and you have to prevent auto updating from the Play Store.

StRanger · Aug 29, 2015

Crashdamage said:
I must recommend that you uninstall QuikPic and use an alternative app.

It's nice to be informed, but there is no reason for the panic:
4.5.2. that was released back in June 2015 is still fine, and so far it is still available (at least for most people) in Google Play. So, as far as you don't have automatic updates enabled (and if you are conscious about your apps, privacy, etc. you probably should never have automatic updates), - there is no problem.
QuickPic is a mature enough app and doesn't require updates, so for the time being (until you have to install an incompatible Android version or whatever), - that's fine.

New users, who would not do a careful research and will install the next version might get "bitten" by what might happen to be a "bait and switch" situation, if the new version will suffer from the problems attributed to Cheetah Mobile.

EarlyMon · Aug 29, 2015

Thom said:
How would you ever know ... for sure?

In addition to the internal signature of the link I posted, I went right to work with my own little doghouse on the June 18th 4.5.2 version - I opened my firewall so it would have the same outside access as for a normal user, let it access my Google Drive burner account (with kisses blown to bad guys for any data that they can mine from that) and ran Network Connections to see everywhere that the old QuickPic went with that info.

Pardon the scrolling to catch the whole screen here -

What that basically shows are two outside connections -

One to the Play Store to validate the app. At this point I assume that Cheetah Mobile is aware of my Play Store account and that I have the app. I can't remember these sorts of details, let's give a shout out to @scary alien because he knows everything.

One to Google to validate the Drive account and access it.

That's it, no other outside access leaking data.

Check out "Network Connections"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.antispycell.connmonitor

I cannot recommend this app highly enough.

EarlyMon · Aug 29, 2015

KOLIO said:
Absolutely! Most haven't an idea,not talking down to the 99%,but,just sad that something like this flies under the radar to most,w/o so much as a WTF from anyone,especially the Android News sites.
They may touch on it for one small article,but,I'd like to see some of them band together & call out CM on their garbage.....er,Malarkey

Android Police has the right idea -

http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/0...ought-by-cheetah-mobile-and-users-are-pissed/

scary alien · Aug 29, 2015

Ah, EM, I think you're asking what info the developer has access to when you download an app?

Well, for free apps: nothing / nada / zilch, etc...other than a tick of the download / installation counts on their dev console.

For paid apps, well I'm going to have to go by memory here as I don't have any current paid apps available in the Play Store. My current Merchant Center page for the previous purchases only show general transaction details (state, zip, country, and meta data about the app that was purchased--but no other user information).

I seem to recall that it used to show name (i.e., i.e., whatever shows up when you leave an app comment, etc.), email address, too--but no street address or credit card details, etc...

I'm guessing the details I could previously see have been removed since the apps are no longer published.

zuben el genub · Aug 29, 2015

I've been playing with the Piktures app, and you can hide folders. When you click on the list of folders and the pencil on top you will see an icon (sorta looks like an eye) on the bottom right. They will be hidden. If you want them back, click on the pencil again and then the eye thingy. They will come back.

Haven't seen anything for in app purchases, yet.

I just sorted out all the stuff in the gallery in 1/2 hour.

QuickPic sold to Cheetah Mobile

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