[Android 1.5+] - PocketPermissions - Security info on the go

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[ Please note this is for Android 2.0+ now ]



update: PocketPermissions 2.0 has been released!

• All newly rebuilt with Honeycomb (tablet), and ICS optimization
• New: Show your list of apps and how many permissions they request
• New: Automatic search suggestions for permissions
• New: Sort by number of permissions requested, name, risk, and more
• New: Details screen for apps, listing permissions and other useful info
• New: Multi-pane layout for tablets
• Reorganized home screen for easier navigation

Hey all,

Many of you have read my guide on permissions and security. (Though this is more for beginners than some of the more seasoned XDA vets )

And, thanks to some of the great feedback and support on this and other Android related forums, I decided to make an app version.

Because, well, where better to read about permissions for your phone, than on your phone?


So who is it for?

Well, lots of us are watching as our less tech-savvy friends grab new Android phones and would like to set them up with some good habits.

It's my hope that this will help people feel more secure and informed and not feel like they've been tossed into the wild west or have to rely soley on anti-virus. The idea is that you can set them up with this app, or keep it as a quick reference for yourself.




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The app is $1.99 on the Market.
Requires: Android 2.0 or newer

Web:
https://market.android.com/details?i...ketpermissions

Phone:
market://details?id=com.alostpacket.pocketpermissions

Amazon:
Amazon.com: PocketPermissions - Android security info on the go: Appstore for Android


FEATURES

Explains permissions and why they matter

Tips on good safety habits

Details the possible dangers out there

Search for permissions

See which apps have requested a specific permission


SCREENSHOTS
















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Pleasing interface and valuable information. Thanks.

Looks interesting. Any plans to add functionality to disable or block permissions on an app by app basis?

Thanks for the kind words guys, and sorry for the delay in getting back to this thread.

At this time there aren't any plans for blocking permissions, as that is a much more serious undertaking and requires root and modifying the OS itself and/or decompiing and recompiling the apps you want to change.

There are at least two apps out there that do try to block permissions but how effective they are I can't say.

My approach is more to educate users rather than to change the OS/Apps.

Edit:

Also, I just uploaded 1.0.4

- Better support for tablet-sized devices
- Many typo fixes
- Some editing for clarity

1.0.5 and 1.0.6 have are out, and the app just got accepted at the Amazon AppStore

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/andr...ketpermissions

Changelog:

-New feature: after searching by permission, you can click on an app to be taken to its appilcation settings page. (Only tested on Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 - please let me know if you have any trouble with this feature!)

-Updated "make phone calls" permission

-Added better support for tablet-sized screens

-Many typo fixes and some editing for clarity

Updated to v1.1



What's new:

-Font size option in preferences
-Show all permissions option in preferences
-Show tech details about each permission, to see the official developer documentation about a permission
-Color coded permission list to show importance
-Filter out system apps option in preferences
-More consistent font styles/some graphics tweaks

Not bad, but I prefer this since its free and can disable/block permissions.

http://market.android.com/details?id...on.permissions

Originally Posted by BenKranged

Not bad, but I prefer (a different app) this since its free and can disable/block permissions.

That's cool, and that's your choice of course. But my goal is to educate users rather than to modify other apps. So both these apps fill a different need and I think compliment each other.

Stericson's app is for advanced and rooted users, and can potentially break other apps or even your phone (as you can see in the reviews). Dont get me wrong, Stericson's a great guy and fatastic dev, but his approach and mine are fundamentally different.

My app is to help people learn about their phone and Android in general, as well as elighten them as to what the apps are asking for. I think people should be more aware of what the ramifications of permissions are, and why they shouldn't download apps when permissions exceed what's required.


Also, if you would like the free guide, you can always visit my website -- it includes a printer friendly version and downloadable PDF of this guide. The text of my guides is released under the Creative commons license. I have been writing and updating this guide for almost 2 years now. It has always been for free, and it's been read over 100k times.

So I ask for people to pay $0.99 if they would like extra features in an app and to have the guide specially formatted for a phone.

As a dev I need to eat and pay rent just like anyone else. I cant make everything free. But nearly half of my work is free. So please respect that fact.

http://alostpacket.com/2010/02/20/ho...avoid-viruses/

Finally, I would appreciate if you would kindly not promote other apps in my announcement thread. Thank you.

So alp can you give me a laymen explaination of what exactly your app does and why a noob and/or a experienced user would find this app useful?

Originally Posted by bountyhunter644

So alp can you give me a laymen explaination of what exactly your app does and why a noob and/or a experienced user would find this app useful?

Sure and thanks for a constructive question

The basic idea is that it contains a plain-english guide on all the basics of security a new user should know. The text of the guide is the same as my free guide on the web which has been read over 100,000 times with hundreds of messages, emails, and posts of people thanking me for the effort.

(Incidentally the guide is released under the creative commons license and if it were printed to a book it would be roughly 25 pages of text. It was something that I have been working on and updating from time to time over the past two years -- since right when the original Droid came out).

In the app however, the guide is formatted nicely for a phone or tablet -- you can even change the font size for easier reading.

The content of the guide is written to teach about the Android community, how to check permissions, location tracking, privacy and more. But most of all, it teaches people how to understand these things in the CONTEXT of what they are doing with their phone and Android specifically. Location tracking can sound very scary or very useful, depending on what context it is being used in and for.


It also gives plain-english descriptions of each of the most common and important permissions, and color codes them based on how dangerous they are. The explanations that are given in the Market have gotten much better over the past year, but some are still very technical or vague, and dont help users understand why an app would want a permission.


Take the "Read Contacts" permission for example. The Android Market unhelpfully explains it like so:

Allows an application to read all of the contact (address) data stored on your device. Malicious applications can use this to send your data to other people.

That sounds pretty scary and doesn't really give a user any idea why an app might request it.

My guide tries to explain further that many social apps, SMS replacement apps, social games, and more, might want this permission just to help you "invite a friend" and help provide typing suggestions for you.



So, as you can see, the intended audience is for new users who aren't yet knowledgeable in the context of Android and smartphones.

For tech savvy people, it can also be a quick reference, or something they can give to their friends who are less tech savvy.

I figured a lot of us have introduced our friends to Android with great enthusiasm. but I wouldn't want to toss my friend out into the wild west without teaching them what to do first.

So basically the idea was, where better to learn about the security of your phone, than on your phone?




Additionally the app offers:

- The ability to search for a permission

- A full list of any apps using that permission

- An option to filter system apps

- An option to view the complete technical permission list, which includes, uncommon, unused, and system-only permission

- The ability to see the developer documentation of each permission



Hope that covers it all


Cheers,
-alp