Billions more Android devices will reset risky app permissions

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Content source

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/billions-more-android-devices-will-reset-risky-app-permissions/

Google announced today that support for a recently released Android privacy protection feature would be backported to billions of devices running older Android versions later this year.

The permission auto-reset feature, first introduced with Android 11, is designed to protect users' privacy by automatically removing runtime permissions for apps that haven't been used for months.

Runtime permissions (aka dangerous permissions), as Google explains, display prompts to request access to sensitive or private user data.

When this feature starts rolling out to older Android devices, it will be made available on all devices with Google Play services and running Android 6.0 (API level 23) up to and including Android 10 (API level 29).

"Starting in December 2021, we are expanding this to billions more devices. This feature will automatically be enabled on devices with Google Play services that are running Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher," Google explained.

"On these devices, users can now go to the auto-reset settings page and enable/disable auto-reset for specific apps.

"The system will start to automatically reset the permissions of unused apps a few weeks after the feature launches on a device."

 

[Vasudev]

Google just pulled a page out of Apple.

 

[dinosaur07]

I am afraid that they'll auto enable privacy features in order to open the gate for more data collection. I am using Bouncer for restraining permissions so i don't need google to take care about my apps.

 

[The_King]

Is this not actually a good thing for Android users and their privacy?

 

[upnorth]

Is this not actually a good thing for Android users and their privacy?

O yes it is and not only for privacy. It's a possible major game changer when it comes to the fight against " dormant/sleeper " malware, adware etc. If one follow the news, and read a bit deep on almost all the reports on how malicious apps infects on a Android system, it's in a huge majority of cases, because of the user sadly allow too many and too much local permissions on the phone itself when an app gets installed. One can argue and point all blame on the users, but it's a plain common human behavior, to click more and read less. Some developers actually try counter that, by enforce for example scrolling on approval messages.

With that said, users still gonna keep fall for it, but since the popup messages for this occur one more time because Google now will start enforce it, it's automatic a chance users will click correct this time and not allow it. It's also a good chance that a user will suddenly be aware of an app that just never gets used and either delete it or at least block it.