a developer told me that google is forcing them to add unnceessary permissions to their apps!

[Kharl]

i went to update an app and i notice it ask for a identity and device id & call status..

i asked the developer why and he told me its app does not need it but google requested him to include it... because google need that "statistic"....

 

[chanchan05]

I'm not sure if the developer explained it properly to you. They're actually needed.

Call status is needed so that the app will know to pause itself when you have an incoming call, so that the call takes priority.

Device ID tells the play store the ID of the device. Other than for purchase uses, it's also how Play Store knows how many people have downloaded an app. That's quite an important detail to let other people know if an app is good or not.

 

[Kharl]

I'm not sure if the developer explained it properly to you. They're actually needed.

Call status is needed so that the app will know to pause itself when you have an incoming call, so that the call takes priority.

Device ID tells the play store the ID of the device. Other than for purchase uses, it's also how Play Store knows how many people have downloaded an app. That's quite an important detail to let other people know if an app is good or not.

for sure, that would be a good reason,
but...
the app already performed well when running an a call enters, it just goes to background and when fiish it goes back to the app, the developer told me had no report of problem related with incommi call while the app is running...

the ID.... I understand.. I could... but why it wants to knows it? is that google wants to identify a DEVICE instead an user account? could that be the reason?
I understand the statistic data.. but 3 totally different users can use a single device, there are three different opinions....

(i feel very sorry for the future coming ahead)

 

[fdbryant3]

Conversely - a single user account can be using 3 different devices, the Play Store keeps track so it knows which one you haven't pushed to.

 

[chanchan05]

1. That's the point of the permission. If it didn't have that, the OS might give ot priority over the call. The fact that it worked ok with the call is because it had that permission. It won't always happen that way if it did not have permission.

2. Google identifies by device not account. As FDbryant said, a single account can have more than 1 device. I have 4 devices on my account for example.

 

[Kharl]

Conversely - a single user account can be using 3 different devices, the Play Store keeps track so it knows which one you haven't pushed to.

for what it must knows it?

 

[Kharl]

1. That's the point of the permission. If it didn't have that, the OS might give ot priority over the call. The fact that it worked ok with the call is because it had that permission. It won't always happen that way if it did not have permission.

2. Google identifies by device not account. As FDbryant said, a single account can have more than 1 device. I have 4 devices on my account for example.

i did understand that...
what i am trying to explain is that, tha a call (in the phone OS is already set to higher priority) so any other app with normal or lower priority like the app i am asking for, will be paused...
exactly like ALWAYS happened, there has not been any single report of user having problem with the app runnign when receiving a call...

there is two ways to set the correct behavior between a call and another non essential app that could interfere...
or you set to lower priority all the other apps, or you set to high priority the ones that needs... if the call have the higher priority, why the other app needs to knows the call status if its set to normal or low priority...?

i understand your point but the developer and i dont understand the request of including that....

 

[chanchan05]

for what it must knows it?

So that when you log in to tge Play Store on a PC, it can show you which of your devices already has the app downloaded to. Also, it does try to count how many devices downloaded the app, not how many users, as far as I am aware.

 

[chanchan05]

i did understand that...
what i am trying to explain is that, tha a call (in the phone OS is already set to higher priority) so any other app with normal or lower priority like the app i am asking for, will be paused...
exactly like ALWAYS happened, there has not been any single report of user having problem with the app runnign when receiving a call...

there is two ways to set the correct behavior between a call and another non essential app that could interfere...
or you set to lower priority all the other apps, or you set to high priority the ones that needs... if the call have the higher priority, why the other app needs to knows the call status if its set to normal or low priority...?

i understand your point but the developer and i dont understand the request of including that....

For older versions of Android, and phones with lower end hardware, sometimes it won't work. The phone call never gets in because an app was hogging the resources, and won't pause even with a call coming through. It's just there as a security measure to make sure it does. At least that's based on what I know the permission is for.

 

[Kharl]

So that when you log in to tge Play Store on a PC, it can show you which of your devices already has the app downloaded to. Also, it does try to count how many devices downloaded the app, not how many users, as far as I am aware.

i suspected that but i wanted to believe the culture of unnecessary commodity.... just for commodity it collect a lot of could-be-sensitive- data....

but thats ok, the app store will count the devices for me...

 

[Kharl]

For older versions of Android, and phones with lower end hardware, sometimes it won't work. The phone call never gets in because an app was hogging the resources, and won't pause even with a call coming through. It's just there as a security measure to make sure it does. At least that's based on what I know the permission is for.

again...i suspected that.. but your confirmation was very useful because i was wandering between one thing and another...

what worried me most is that i was talking about a map app, and i am really not interested in googl knowing the places, locations i am routing / looking in the map

 

[vosg]

If you are worried about app permissions, install Permissions Manager by Openview Mobile from the Google Play store. It doesn't require root and it allows you to set the permissions for individual apps. I use it to deny Facebook the right to know where I am. Works like a charm.

 

[Kharl]

Wow... Thats a great news... Swore that was not possible witout root!


Thank you!!!!

 

[Kharl]

I tried the app and it does not work in my nexus 7, neither in my phone (r4.0.4). I asked to the developer, he is not too good with the english (neither i) and when i ssked abput the compatibility he just said "no"

In my nexus 7 2013 when i tap over the icon it just oppen the default setting page of the android os

 

[James_Watson]

I do not think that unnceessary permissions resulted from google other than the developer.
For example, I could show a free and clean utility app which is without any permissions required to run.
It's in amazon appstore. Logon amazon web or appstore, search with terms, adless smart unit converter.

 

[a880s]

I have a unlocked xperia Z2 from Japan, and they have bundle of apps that I have no way to remove, or even disable

 

[dynomot]

Google have made all permissions required by apps to be displayed before instalation from the Play Store. Updates to previously "working fine" apps now ask permissions required and not just those particular to that app. It's s nothing insidious, just more clear for the user. Some permissions like those mentioned in the above post were regarded in the past as a "given" now you know about them. That's the only change.

 

[EarlyMon]

https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6014972?p=app_permissions&rd=1

Check out "Color Palette - Iromihon -"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.uzumaki.android.iromihon

Only permission required is to keep awake.

Google is not out to get you.

I have a unlocked xperia Z2 from Japan, and they have bundle of apps that I have no way to remove, or even disable

Can you root it and freeze them?

 

[UncleMike]

This whole conversation doesn't make sense. App permissions pertain to what the app is permitted to do, not what the OS is permitted to do with/to the app (pause the app in the event of a phone call, as suggested above). An incoming call WILL interrupt an app. AFAIK, the permission is only necessary to allow the app to know when this has happened, do it can appropriately handle the situation (I.e. an interactive game should pause when interrupted by a phone call).

It also makes no sense that an app permission would be required in order for Google to know to which device an app was installed. If I install an app from the Play Store, it's Google sending the app to my device, through the Play Store app running on my device, and Android installing the app on my device, before the app ever executes on my device. Is anyone really suggesting that the lack of an app permission would prevent Google from being aware of the installation?

 

[Hadron]

I tried the app and it does not work in my nexus 7, neither in my phone (r4.0.4). I asked to the developer, he is not too good with the english (neither i) and when i ssked abput the compatibility he just said "no"

In my nexus 7 2013 when i tap over the icon it just oppen the default setting page of the android os

Permissions management in 4.4.2 and later I think requires root, so I can imagine it not working on the Nexus.