Android apps usually collect all sorts of data about you and your device, such as name and location, and sometimes provide access to your photos or messages, among other things. That’s why it’s so important to understand how much access an app will have before you download it, and it’s getting harder and harder to understand.
A new feature called “Data security”, which Google recently introduced, which requires app developers to disclose the data their apps collect and whether the data is shared with third parties, alleviates this difficulty. But there is another strange thing about it. If only this feature had been added, it would be a promising step. But Google is also silently removing the app permissions list from the store listings.
This change was not announced by the company, but was spotted by Esper senior technical editor Mishaal Rahman.
This list of app permissions was generated automatically by Google, meaning that while accurate, it wasn’t always clear why certain permissions were needed or why data was collected. One might expect the new Data Security screen to be much clearer in most cases as app developers can explain why they need various types of data, but there is also a risk that information will be incomplete or inaccurate as developers will have to fill out this page.
Having both Data Security and permissions screens would be more comprehensive, but it can also result in a complex and confusing list. So we can understand why Google prefers to show only one. Time will tell if this is the right decision…
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