Hello guys,
I've tried a couple of Android games and they are all asking at least "Device identifying information" is that OK to give or should I just drop them?
Thanks!
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Hello guys,
I've tried a couple of Android games and they are all asking at least "Device identifying information" is that OK to give or should I just drop them?
Thanks!
That's up to you. Device identifying information is the IMEI, PIN. I generally don't install games that ask for this if they are Android, and remove the permission from native games. It is up to you. You could send the developer an email asking what they use the information for, or see if they have a privacy statement that would tell you. I just haven't seen anything worth giving that away for.
Any particular reason this request bothers you? Device Identifying permissions really doesn't give a lot of info. It could be needed to check if your device has a keyboard or processor information to accommodate for certain hardware requirements, for example. The Device Identifying permission is required in order to query this info.
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Yeah with Android apps you can't just remove the permission.. That is stupid IMHO..
Thank you for the feedback.
To be honest, I am not sure what info it takes and what for and that makes me a bit uncomfortable.
Why would you even accept to give this very private info to a anonymous developer ?
Would you like to print your ID and hang it on the walls in the streets ?
Would you like to have your mail opened in your mailbox everyday by people you don't know ? How would you feel ? Just because it's an elecronic device doesn't change anything....
I agree with Neeko. It's like Google. Snooping out your privacy. I want a say so if I can help it.
Do you cover up the VIN on your car? Or hide your license plate? Both of these are significantly more "identifying" than anything your device gives up and accessible to a bajillion people who didn't even ask you for them. Security and paranoia are completely different. Someone snooping through your mail is not the same as someone knowing if you have a keyboard or not.
My paranoia levels vary by app or mood.
But I really wish some of the developers were more discriminating in the types of permissions that they seek. And, yes, Android apps do not give a choice and can't be altered afterward.
Some of the permissions an app has to ask for are for silly reasons sometimes. Shushmail, which I built and just got approved yesterday requires Calendar permissions - but not because it needs the calendar. The only way to get a system's 12H/24H clock setting is through the calendar APIs. This is why I made the point about determining if there was a physical keyboard or not - only Device Identifying APIs can access this information which is silly. It would be nice if developers had more options for permissions and could be more granular with what they're requesting, and users could be more at ease.
I'm curious. Why would you need to know the 12H/24H setting when you can just use a time picker or system display format? Why would you need to know if it has a physical keyboard?
May I add also why not just have a settings option where a user can specify what device or setting to choose? My favorite apps are the ones that don't require permissions..
Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.2141 CB10
That's exactly it. To get the system display format, you have to ask the Calendar API. I used it because I display time frames in a label and I wanted those times to be formatted to the style the user has their device set to.
You might want to know if it's a physical keyboard device for the active frame, for instance. Because the screen sizes differ, the active frame sizes are slightly different and you can use this information to properly lay out an active frame.
That's the "developer dillema" a lot of us have. Do we put more work into something that is mostly trivial in order to avoid asking for permissions or do we request the permissions needed and it "just works" for most people.
Some permissions can't be avoided, depending on what the app actually does.
I'll have to check but I believe methods in QDateTime will provide a date and/or time string formatted in the way selected by the user.
For this I use static asset selection for this.
You might want to know if it's a physical keyboard device for the active frame, for instance. Because the screen sizes differ, the active frame sizes are slightly different and you can use this information to properly lay out an active frame.
I couldn't find anything that could get the system time format aside from is24HourFormat() but if you find something, please do pass it on.
Static asset selection is great if you do most everything in QML. The Active Frame was an example, because the UI can be built using C++ as well and you could ask if the device is a keyboard device or not in order to scale the elements. There is more than one way to skin a cat, that was the only example I came up with off the top of my head that would be "common".
http://developer.blackberry.com/nati...eformat-format
Haven't actually tried this in code, but the documentation looks good.
As for device ID, I almost always turn it off, my personal.
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We did get pretty derailed here.
I very rarely deny permissions requested, so to the OP - it's a personal preference you have to form with your own views. :)