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Hello all. Just wanted to give you all a heads up about a new app called 'Army Sniper'. It wants access to your wifi network, device info and location as well as files in order to run. Seemed suspect for such a small game (about five mb's). If anyone is bold, test it out. Otherwise keep this in mind.
You know... you always can uncheck those boxes for permissions.. you don't NEED to grant them. This place is starting to look like the Google Play comments section lol
ZOMG! 1 STARRZZZ UNTIL YOU FIX THESE PERMISSIONS, WHY DOES THE APP NEED THE KEYS TO MY APARTMENT AND MY MOMS ADDRESS?
No offense OP, I appreciate the heads up I just hope people realize there is options before getting all chicken little. :)
A lot of free apps are ad supported and that is probably why they ask for these permissions. They can need access to the internet to download the ads. They'll need your location to properly target these ads- you don't want to show an ad for McDonalds to someone who maybe lives in Timbuktu and is 1000 miles away from the nearest McD's. Finally, they may want your device ID to further target your ads. If they show you 100 ads and you only click on two, say, one for McD's, say, and the other for Burger King, then you'll probably be seeing ads for Wendy's and Taco Bell soon after. They need to know which device has been used to click on these ads to find a pattern. It's the price you pay for not paying a price, and isn't necessarily nefarious.
Bla1ze:
There is a problem on the playbook that causes Permission problems for some apps. I initially DENIED Kalemsoft some permission or other. Same for Overdrive (the library lending software). Well, Kalemsoft limited what I could do and Overdrive would not run. AND neither app was listed in the Security Permissions list afterward. There was no way to grant or change Permissions for either app since they were NOT in the list. UNinstalled and reinstalling did not fix it. The only fix was a complete Security Wipe.
Some apps do seem to ask for TOO much access. But that's the tradeoffs in some cases.
Actually they are likely like zinio if ya don't grant the permissions the app don't work and contrary to them saying ya change later .... bull !
Similiar to what Overdrive does ! ...... Unless ya like unknown peoples looking at your privates ;)
Soooo thanks OP for the warning another app' tah stay away from.
I downloaded the army sniper app and played with it a few times. Then i tried to restrict the permissions given to this app but i couldn't make any changes as the options were blocked off. Ended up removing the app from my Z10. I am wondering if this app had anything to do with a problem i started having with the Z10 shortly after i updated the OS. The picture browser on the home screen stopped working. I have access to my pictures and camera but cannot access pictures using the pictures icon. I also scanned the phone with the max secure antivirus/malware app which indicated that there were no viruses on my phone. Hopefully i wont have to do a security wipe.
Then why can apps access wifi without needing permission and can work without needing additional permission for the other 3 choices we are sometimes asked. As soon as I see one of these pop up begging and pleading and crying for permission for whatever with some no name app published by so and so chinese or russian guy, it's an instant " Nope, I'm out" Delete ... If they were just reg apps, wouldn't need to beg for permission, it would automatically have it.
That could probably depend on the app. Actually, it is safer to have the app ask for them in a need-to-have basis, where you have more control of what you are doing, rather than having them granted at installation, then have immediate softwarerape at launch. We would need to know how the playbook posts permissions, if it shows just all the possible permissions the app may ask for in the future (not necessarily using them right now), or are the ones it will currently ask for, or are the ones it will always ask for, or are only stated by the developers as a guideline. But obviously, if the credentials do not match up and its coming out of nowhere, then surely its not good.
A good scenario is seeing before installation that the app will require internet access permission, but when installed and it needs access, it asks for it or if auto granted then just using it.
You may be comparing apples and oranges. The app that the OP referred to is an ad supported android port, and I'm not aware of (though I could be wrong) any android apps that don't ask for permission for internet access during the install if they actually get such access. Now most games don't need internet access, but the ad supported ones do- how else are they going to feed you the ads? An an example, take Angry Birds. It's a paid, non ad supported native app for the Playbook. As such, I think that it doesn't ask for any permissions when installing it on the Playbook. Conversely, the free, ad supported android app requires the following permissions when installing on an android device (from Google Play)
Permissions
This application has access to the following:
Your location
approximate location (network-based)
Allows the app to get your approximate location. This location is derived by location services using network location sources such as cell towers and Wi-Fi. These location services must be turned on and available to your device for the app to use them. Apps may use this to determine approximately where you are.
Network communication
full network access
Allows the app to create network sockets and use custom network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.
Phone calls
read phone status and identity
Allows the app to access the phone features of the device. This permission allows the app to determine the phone number and device IDs, whether a call is active, and the remote number connected by a call.
Storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage modify or delete the contents of your SD card
Allows the app to write to the USB storage. Allows the app to write to the SD card.
Network communication
view Wi-Fi connections
Allows the app to view information about Wi-Fi networking, such as whether Wi-Fi is enabled and name of connected Wi-Fi devices.
view network connections
Allows the app to view information about network connections such as which networks exist and are connected.
Default
test access to protected storage test access to protected storage
Allows the app to test a permission for USB storage that will be available on future devices. Allows the app to test a permission for the SD card that will be available on future devices.
Now, is Rovio trying something devious with the android users while leaving us PB users alone, or are they merely trying to target their advertising as I noted above.
ROFLMAO. Thanks Bla1ze.
Posted via CB10 on the BlackBerry Z10
I have also encountered this. if permissions are denied that's it for some apps. no going back. does anyone have more information on this that could be helpful to some in the past?
I just encrypted my device. Simple and effective.
The game is horrible anyhow.
Good point Bubble. had the same gut feeling. DO NOT give out that info.
It is probably a bug in OS2.x. I don't know if similar things happen on the new bb10 phones. I contacted Kalemsoft and they were not aware of the issue but surmised it was an OS issue.
Yes, on most apps you can opt not to allow access to your area or data, but that's not the point. Not to speak on behalf of the OP, but I have to agree. There should be more monitoring when allowing apps into Blackberry World. In the haste to get more and more apps out there we're getting a bunch of crap. Most are the free apps, but some of the pay apps do it as well. You may not care right now, but when your bank account gets emptied you will. It happens several times every day and anyone can read about it using your choice of search engine. And no, you don't have to have your bank information on the device for somebody to get to it using this method. Just my thought and opinion, but have had it happen within my organization on a few occasions (military).
ROFL it won't run without allowing those options. Blaze is either ignorant of that, or just trolling.
I doubt he is either ignorant or trolling
He seems ignorant to point out that denying those options is viable. Most apps require that you allow them, or it will not run.
Previous comment is true. Many, if not most apps won't run properly or at all without many permissions I'm not willing to give, on the PB and especially on a BB phone. When I deny permissions and the app bugs out, adios amigo, deleted.
BTW, Bla1ze isn't ignorant of the fact that some apps won't run with most permissions denied, he was giving the OP an option to try, as some WILL run with most permissions denied, otherwise I wouldn't have any apps on my PB or phone.