App permissions: why check before installing?

Every time you install a new Android app, you grant lots of permissions to apps, you don’t have to pay attention to them. we will focus the importance of these permissions and why they should be checked.

Android is often accused of being the target of many malicious apps. This is usually the case with extremely popular operating systems such as Android or Windows. Some apps pretend to offer you new ringtones for your phone, but actually take advantage of it to make you call, for example, overcharged numbers.

These issues are often thought to be related to Android security vulnerabilities, but when you actually install these fake apps, you grant permissions as the user. Hence the importance of paying attention to permissions.

What is app permission?

they are different The permissions the Android app asks for before installing. Click the install button and a window will appear. You’re probably inclined to accept it regardless of the entitlements you’ve given to the app in question; this is sometimes abusive and requests access that is not necessary for it to work properly.

What are they for?

Android does this for your security. This permission system partition different data access rights for each user. For this, a User ID is created on the phone every time a new application is installed, as in Linux with an Android core.

All necessary actions and accesses for the application will use this user ID so that this user will have exclusive access to their files and no other application will be able to come to inspect it… Unless you give permission c This is exactly the important topic we are talking about today.

Managing permissions: theory and practice

That’s why Android is a secure operating system that partitions user data for each app, in which case it’s up to you to relax certain restrictions by allowing or not. But do you really have a choice?

If you choose not to allow, the app will refuse to install. One of the few ways to manage permissions on a case-by-case basis and root your Android phone or tablet to have full control and manage each one on a case-by-case basis.

To do this, we will see below the available applications. An app reserved for advanced users as blocking some of them may affect certain functions of the app.

If you verify, this permission gives the app the right to see your phone’s status and identity. Concretely, it can access your phone number, mobile phone identifier and see if you have made a call to get the dialed number. Another permission not to be taken lightly.

This is one of the best known, but is sometimes abused by some apps. Make sure that access to your GPS and geolocation is justified when using the app; this will then be able to:

• Access to GPS and your exact or approximate location (including via network)
• Another access to additional location commands offered by the provider

While most plans now offer unlimited SMS and MMS, you need to be careful as they are sent without your knowledge and can incur additional costs (depending on your plan). Here the application will be able to receive, read, exchange and send SMS, MMS and WAP messages.

– Telephone : Like text and video messages, some calls may incur additional charges.

• Call phone numbers directly and make calls without your intervention
• Read and write call log (history)
• Forward outgoing calls
• change phone status

The right things to do before installing an app

A few precautions should be taken before installing any app on your Android device. If some seem obvious, not everyone pays attention and sometimes it can end badly.

View ratings and reviews

The first is to look at the app’s rating and user reviews on Google Play. If some people complain that the app doesn’t work or can’t find the original one, it could be a sign of a scam app.

Disaster grades for an application are also indicators, but bad apps are not always dangerous. Once this initial sorting is done, you can move on to the next step.

Check the requested permissions

before installing

If you want to know about these permissions before installing, you should know that there is a link in the lower part of the application. “additional information” then “Show details”.

Clicking on it will bring you to the following screen where the permissions requested by the application in question are displayed. There are different groups such as “Identity” to connect to your different user accounts or “Photos / Multimedia content / Files” that will give the app the right to add or delete content on your Android phone or tablet, provided you give permission. .

A small note at the bottom of this screen also indicates the future. app updates can automatically add features within each group, without having to ask you again, hence the importance of knowing it well. However, if a new group is created, you will need to confirm again.

If they are already installed

If you have already installed the app and want to see its permissions, go to: “Settings>Applications>Permissions”.

Ask yourself if the requested permissions really match the functionality of the app. For example, why would a photo editing app need to read your SMS or call certain numbers directly?

If you want to get answers to their questions, you can go to the websites of the application developers to get answers. If they are not available on the site, you can use the contact form to ask the question directly to them.

Sensitive permissions to watch

If you have to be careful with all permissions, some are more sensitive than others. Especially considering what’s inside. “Identity” section for example, who can access different accounts on the device, but add or delete them. This is the type of permission most popular apps like Facebook access, but other, more obscure apps can also use it really badly.

Permissions for the “Phone” section should also be followed closely. Some allow you to redirect or even make outgoing calls without your intervention. Enough to make calls on premium lines without your knowledge.

Finally, Permissions related to SMS You are just as sensitive about reading, receiving, changing and sending the latest that you can unwittingly accept. Again, all permissions should be followed as much as possible. Unless larger app publishers are going to abuse these permissions, but watch out for lesser known apps.

Apps to control permissions

If you want to explicitly control app permissions on Android, you will have to review apps. The only way there is currently is to go to settings and check app permissions one by one, which is not the most convenient.

Various apps are available to provide an overview of the permissions requested by the apps installed on your Android device. One of them is called Clueful..

Its interface is well thought out as it shows the possibility to display both the Global “Privacy Score” of your apps and the level of risk to your privacy via a color code. You can also quickly sort by authorization type.

Permission Friendly Apps It offers the same type of service with the ability to directly delete apps that it deems not respecting your privacy.

Pay attention to the taste of this application so as not to ask for any special authorizations during its installation.

Finally, AppOps It is a somewhat special application as it provides access to a hidden Android menu. It allows you to have an overview of the permissions and also disable them without having to root your device.

Its scope is still quite limited. Warning: The app no ​​longer works with Android 4.4.2 KitKat, only previous versions.

Solution

We’ve seen that app permissions shouldn’t be neglected and can sometimes be abused. Fortunately, the vast majority of them are justified and only exist to take advantage of your phone’s potential.. So there is no question of falling into paranoia, but a knowledgeable user will fall less into nasty traps. So be careful in the future and don’t let that stop you from exploring the wealth of apps on Google Play!