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Android Privacy Part 2: App Ops & Google Play Improvements

Let me start out by saying I like my Android phones. I like developing for Android even with all the inherent version support issues, etc etc. So, in my previous post I brought up privacy issues related to installing Android apps along with a suggested fix. That post was inspired by a major change in Android v4.4.2 that removed “App Ops,” even though I didn’t mention it by name. The removal of that functionality is now a very visibility topic thanks to a number of high–profile bloggers such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) who also have taken exception to this change.

In a nutshell, App Ops or its equivalent, would allow you to manually toggle individual application permissions on and off. You can search for articles on what App Ops is, or read my previous post on what it should be.

I’d take the issue of “control over what applications can access” even one step further and propose that it’s well past time that Google should begin reviewing Android app submissions similar to what Apple does for the App Store. Seriously. In combination with App Ops, or similar functionality, this could only help reduce the amount of nefarious practices, content, viruses, Trojans and more. Case-in-point: for the first this September, Kaspersky Labs reported a particularly sophisticated Trojan virus along with distribution mechanisms specially gift wrapped just for Android users. And, then again in November they announced an Android-specific financial phishing Trojan aimed at stealing banking usernames and passwords.

To get an idea of what is allowed on Google Play all you need to do is compare Apple’s App Review Guidelines with Google Play Policies and Guidelines. For example, searching the related Android Developer Content Policy for the term “review”, it only shows up once, and that is in regards to serving up advertisements.

My hope is that Google takes heed and makes some necessary and timely changes so that we can all continue to enjoy our Android devices safely and securely.

Important fix needed for Android app permissions

I believe there is a significant flaw in how permissions are set when you install Android apps. You get two options – Accept all or nothing. For readers not familiar with how Android app permissions work, there is a configuration file for each app that sets permissions for that app only. Permissions are needed for any functionality that affects how the app accesses things like sensors (e.g. GPS), SD Cards and the internet. These permissions do not affect any other app on the phone.

I propose an important change should be implemented at the operating system level — You should be able to accept or deny each privilege at installation time. This would make it an opt-in approach rather than an opt-out. Sure, some of you will say there are apps that can help you do that afterwards, but for tens of millions of consumers that’s not good enough. The vast majority of consumers simply don’t do take advantage of that for a variety of reasons, so having the option to accept/deny up front is the best way to go.

Yes, there is a good chance that many (most?) users would still simply accept all. However, I think increasing numbers of users would become aware that they can opt out of certain things and take advantage of the convenience and the potential for added security that this approach provides.

Developers and companies that build Android apps will probably yell loudly that this will affect how their apps work. Note that there are no technical reasons as to why this wouldn’t work. If someone checks “don’t allow internet access”, we developers can gracefully disable parts of the application and provide notifications when users attempt to access the internet. If someone disallows geolocation, then we do the same thing. Users can always opt back in if they need to. If some vendors take the approach that if you opt-out of certain things then the entire app will be disabled, then so be it. I personally would be wary of installing an app that did that.

Take the example of the screenshot below. This is the installation screen from a very popular sports app. I wonder why does it need access to my phone calls, my Accounts, or even contents of my USB storage? It doesn’t even provide an option to move the app to USB and there are no capabilities in the app (that I’m aware of) related to making phone calls. I would love to be able to opt out of these.

Android 4.3 plus Snapdragon S4 has massive battery life improvements

Okay, I expected a battery life boost when I got my LG Nexus 4 (16GB), but what I got blew me away. When I finally got the phone last week as a replacement to my battery hogging Samsung S3 I didn’t really expect much in terms of battery life.

I immediately installed three apps that I use a lot and that draw some amount of standby power: corporate email, a second email account and Twitter. Then I got a prompt to upgrade to Android v4.3 (thanks LG!) so I immediately installed the update. I fully expected to get 10 to 12 hours of use before the battery approached rock bottom. Well was I wrong…way wrong…because at the 32 hour mark (1 day 8 hours) I still had 42% battery left! See the screenshot at the bottom of the page. I’ve also seen other reports that 4.3, by itself, added an amazing boost to battery life.

Note, I did the exact same test on my S3 when it was brand new and it lasted almost 12 hours before it started throwing low power warnings. That’s pretty much been my general experience with the eight other various Androids that I’ve had since v1.5. The results from the Nexus 4 blew that out of the water. I understand this is a brand new phone with very few apps on it. And as I add other apps that eat power in stand-by I’ll fully expect to see a drop off in battery life, especially as the battery gets older and more discharge/recharge cycles on it.

I also wanted to explain my usage pattern for the phone. It is what I’ll refer to as light- to medium-duty. What I mean by that is I would check email, news and twitter every two to three hours. This would consist of browsing on the phone for roughly 7 – 10 minutes at a time in short bursts throughout the day. I very much use it as a business and Android dev phone.

My main suspicion is that the WXGA IPS screen combined with the Snapdragon processor and Android 4.3 is dramatically more power efficient than the Super AMOLED screen on the S3 running Android 4.1.2 with a Samsung Exynos 4 quadcore. I’ll also point out that the screens are roughly the same size, if you were thinking maybe the Nexus 4 had a smaller screen and that’s what saved on power then think again. In fact, the Nexus has a slightly higher pixel density:

Samsung Galaxy S3 – 720 x 1280, 4.8 inches (~306 ppi pixel)

Nexus 4 – 768 x 1280, 4.7 inches (~320 ppi)

My point is that when jumping between previous major Android versions in the past we never saw battery life improvements even close to this. And from a hardware perspective, my S3 and all of my other pre-4.2 Android’s had screens that were major gas hogs. The screens on those phones were always at the top of the list on the Android battery consumption monitor as the number one energy consumer.

Conclusion. Whoa! I’ve been harping on Android’s miserable battery life for a long time, and now the Android team along with their hardware manufacturing friends may have finally broken the trend. Time will tell as I continue to use the phone and load up on apps if 4.3’s battery life improvements continue to hold up under pressure.