New Facebook permissions

[Deleted User]

I noticed in the new Facebook app (just when Home came out), it's asking for new permissions that scare me:

"Draw over other apps, reorder running apps, retrieve running apps"

Why does it need to draw over other apps, or reorder running apps? I don't want Facebook giving itself almighty power over my other apps. What is going on? Why is there hardly any information about this online and why haven't people gotten irked by this?

 

[funkylogik]

Its maybe just permissions for the FB Home launcher mate. That has to take control of a lot of the phones UI

 

[gtbarry]

facebook was very sneaky when launching home. The day they launched home they launched new versions of the facebook app and facebook messenger. The latter two apps were the two that asked for incredibly invasive permissions. Because facebook assumed we were all sheep and would not read the new permissions and just blindly update.

Meanwhile, anyone downloading the new home app would see that it didn't invade your privacy one bit. Why? Cause it used the permissions granted to the facebook app and facebook messenger.

A company that people don't trust much to begin with, should not be treating us all like fools.

I have stayed at the pre-home version (2.3) and refuse to upgrade. I keep it only because I know that every version after it will be more intrusive. But I am using the chrome mobile version of facebook in preparation for the day they try to force me to update the app and I uninstall instead.

 

[womb raider]

I'm like gtbarry, I'm sticking with v2.3. I'm not even using Home, so I see no need to let FB have those permissions.

 

[El Presidente]

I'm like gtbarry, I'm sticking with v2.3. I'm not even using Home, so I see no need to let FB have those permissions.

Yep.

I didn't even stick with 2.3, I uninstalled and I'm using Friendcaster or the mobile site instead.

 

[mydian]

I noticed in the new Facebook app (just when Home came out), it's asking for new permissions that scare me:

"Draw over other apps, reorder running apps, retrieve running apps"

Why does it need to draw over other apps, or reorder running apps? I don't want Facebook giving itself almighty power over my other apps. What is going on? Why is there hardly any information about this online and why haven't people gotten irked by this?

Those permissions have to do with the chat heads. If enabled, when someone sends you a message their face will pop up on your screen no matter what app you have running and you can interact with it.

For example, if you're playing angry birds and someone sends you a message, their profile pic pops up in the right hand corner of the screen. You can click on it at any time to respond without leaving Angry Birds. When you want it to go away just drag the head off the bottom of the screen.

Chat heads work with SMS/MMS too if you allow it. I use facebook messenger as my default texting app now since the chat heads are so convenient.

 

[Deleted User]

Is chat heads able to be disabled? This seems like the very kind of notification that iPhone users complain about; pop-ups over the app you're using, and you have to swipe it away or something to continue.

 

[gtbarry]

On a side note related to this topic......I have been using the mobile web edition of facebook for over a month and have version 2.3 of the facebook app on my phone - untouched and unused. When I abandoned the app a month ago I unchecked notifications completely. And I went into apps and disabled the facebook app from being able to notify me about anything.

Well, today for the first time in a month I open the facebook app and guess what? Notifications and everything in it was checked! I am positive it was all unchecked when I closed it out a month ago for the last time.

 

[dvhttn]

Where's the option "I don't care as I uninstall Facebook"?

Dave

 

[chanchan05]

Is chat heads able to be disabled? This seems like the very kind of notification that iPhone users complain about; pop-ups over the app you're using, and you have to swipe it away or something to continue.

Yes you can disable it.

 

[Deleted User]

I uninstalled Facebook as I saw it was running "Facebook Buttons" in the background at an average of 4% CPU even though I hadn't used the Facebook app for over a day. This is unacceptable as I use the app maybe once a week and my running mp3 player uses less than 0.5%. I uninstalled and disabled the factory version. Another offender is Google+, which uses 8-3% long after using it. I'm still tracking it to see if I should uninstall and disable it. I don't like these apps constantly running in the background collecting my information.