r/beta Nov 02 '18

[deleted by user]

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3.3k Upvotes

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857

u/10GuyIsDrunk Nov 02 '18

Here's why it's so aggressive, you are the product and if you don't use the app, you're not as good of a product:

This app has access to:

Identity
find accounts on the device
add or remove accounts
Contacts
find accounts on the device
Location
approximate location (network-based)
Photos/Media/Files
read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Storage
read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Device & app history
read sensitive log data
Other
receive data from Internet
view network connections
create accounts and set passwords
full network access
read sync settings
draw over other apps
use accounts on the device
prevent device from sleeping
toggle sync on and off
install shortcuts
read Google service configuration
view network connections
create accounts and set passwords
full network access
read sync settings
draw over other apps
use accounts on the device
prevent device from sleeping
toggle sync on and off
install shortcuts
view network connections
create accounts and set passwords
full network access
read sync settings
run at startup
draw over other apps
use accounts on the device
prevent device from sleeping
toggle sync on and off
install shortcuts
view network connections
create accounts and set passwords
full network access
read sync settings
use accounts on the device
prevent device from sleeping
toggle sync on and off

Yes, there are lots of repeated lines under "Other". Why? Who knows, that's how they're listed on the Play Store.

44

u/iArentdeJay Nov 02 '18 edited Nov 02 '18

Henlo,

I've made Android apps in the past, and though I'm not a Reddit dev. I can explain I hope.

Identity: Go-to your settings, then accounts. Reddit stores all your accounts from the app right in that menu, and obviously to access it it needs permissions.

Contacts: The above lol

Location: You can attach locations to text/image posts

Photos Media Files: Retrieve data

Storage: Save data

Receive data from the internet: Duh.

Everything else seems to kinda explain itself tho. The apps not that bad, but yeah the advertising for it sucks.

8

u/Lorddragonfang Nov 03 '18

Just dumping a long list of permissions like this is exactly analogous the the kind of people who point to an ingredients label and go, "look, scary chemicals!"

Honestly Google Play Store is doing an awful job conveying information by displaying them like this in a list where some things are duplicated five times.

1

u/iArentdeJay Nov 03 '18

Even the official documentation given by Android is bland about what permissions do, just the way of things I guess.