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Everyone knows all the apps on your phone (peabee.substack.com)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by Ninjazzon@infosec.pub to c/privacy@lemmy.world

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Until a few years ago, any app you installed on an Android device could see all other apps on your phone without your permission.

Since 2022, with Android 11, Google removed this access from app developers. Under their new package visibility policy, apps should only see other installed apps if it’s essential to their core functionality. Developers must also explicitly declare these apps in the AndroidManifest.xml file - a required configuration file for all Android apps.

So I downloaded a few dozen Indian apps I could think of on top of my head and started reading their manifest files. Surely they will be respectful of my privacy and will only query apps essential to their app's core functionality? 🙃

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[–] chirospasm@lemmy.ml 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Somewhat in progress: https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/113973056128380064

EDIT: wrong link, didn't fully flesh out the thought, and more. I deserve the downvote!

There are on-going efforts to create what is know as App Communication Scopes in GrapheneOS, which covers similar ground to their Storage Scopes and Contacts Scopes. It's been a WIP for while, though.

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Can you explain? Not saying you're wrong but that short paragraph does not seem to address the contents of this posts's article.

[–] chirospasm@lemmy.ml 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Oops! I shared the wrong link, and also meant to say 'Somewhat in progress.' Explains why I got downvoted.

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 4 points 4 days ago

Thanks that makes more sense. But I'll believe it when it's implemented.

It is very hard to implement properly

This is the problem with Android; the whole OS is built for Google and they have no interest in making this sort of thing easy. Building apps or end user stuff, sure, but fiddling around with its core functionality is not supported.