Are you conscious that any single app on your smartphone can see each different app that you’ve put in on your system, thus accessing delicate info like courting preferences, banking info, political affiliation, and password administration, and so on?
Google has introduced to change this method on its Play Store from May 5. In an replace, Google has mentioned that app builders could have to present a strong purpose for why the tech big ought to allow them to entry different apps on customers’ smartphones, studies arstechnica.
Currently, Android 11 apps that request the “Query_All_Packages” permission can see the total list of apps you may have saved on your system.
Google has now up to date its Developer Programme Policy, proscribing which apps are allowed to use the permission.
“Apps that have a core purpose to launch, search, or interoperate with other apps on the device may obtain scope-appropriate visibility to other installed apps on the device,” Google mentioned.
There’s an exception for monetary apps like banking apps and P2P wallets, which the web page says “may obtain broad visibility into installed apps solely for security-based purposes.”
If your app meets the coverage necessities for acceptable use of the “Query_All_Packages” permission, you may be required to declare this and another excessive danger permissions utilizing the declaration kind within the Play Console.
“Apps that fail to meet policy requirements or do not submit a Declaration Form may be removed from Google Play. Important: If you change how your app uses these restricted permissions, you must revise your declaration with updated and accurate information,” Google warned.
“Deceptive and non-declared uses of these permissions may result in a suspension of your app and/or termination of your developer account”.
For apps which have to work together with different apps, Google needs builders to use app-discovery APIs as an alternative of simply pulling the entire app list.
The ‘Query_All_Packages’ permission was added in Android 11, so it solely applies to apps focusing on Android 11’s API degree, which is “API Level 30.”
