If you are one of them who feels insecure while new Google apps installation on Play Store demand for seeing other data on your phone, then this news may be a reason to rejoice for you as Google is planning to limit which apps can see everything else a user has installed on their gadget.
According to The Verge, a users list of installed apps can communicate to developers personal traits like dating preferences and political affiliations. So starting on May 5, 2021, developers will have to list the reason why Google should let the user permitted access to personal information like that.
The Android 11 version apps that have the policy to pop requests to users with a 'Query All Packages' permission can see the full list of apps and the data a person has installed on the device. However, Google has recently updated its 'Developer Program Policy' and now considers that information to be labelled as 'personalized and sensitive user data', restricting which apps are allowed to use it.
The Verge reported that after the change will roll in May, applications will only be able to use the permission of their "core user-facing functionality or purpose, requires broad visibility into installed apps on the user's device."
The apps that will be permitted to continue using this permission include file managers, browsers, and antivirus apps that need the data "for awareness or interoperability purposes." Banking apps, digital wallet apps, and any other app that involves "financial transaction functionality" will get a pass "for security-based purposes."
Applications that do not have a legitimate use case for the authorization hazard being eliminated from the Google Play Store. All developers who want to keep the consent in their applications need to finish a presentation structure supporting their use of it.
On the off chance if one is concerned that the developers could in any case misuse the consent, Google's documentation clearly states it will come down hard on culpable applications, regardless of whether they are new to the Play Store or just updates to existing apps. Google could suspend applications and possibly terminate developer accounts.
( With inputs from ANI )
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