Android 15 may make it even harder for sideloaded apps to get sensitive permissions

FragmentedChicken@lemdro.id to Android@lemdro.id – 72 points –
Android 15 may make it even harder for sideloaded apps to get sensitive permissions
androidauthority.com
21

My next phone will be one on which I can install a better OS on. Like Graphene OS.

And people wonder why I root.

First I start with a user-friendly OS, like Graphene, Lineage, DivestOS.

My bank apps won't run on a rooted phone. Neither will 2FA authenticator apps that most employers require that you have.

If an employer requires you to have a specific app then they should be providing you a device on which to use it!

I have worked for both a fortune 100 and startups. Both don't provide it. They do, however, paid for my monthly cellphone bill.

So how do they react when you say "that app doesn't work on my phone", or if you're feeling mischievous, "I don't have a smartphone"?

They should, but they most definitely do not.

Guess you pull out the old classic "oh, I don't have a smartphone" if you find they're being difficult about it!

Don't root a main phone device. You are creating a very large attack surface

With the changes being made, I wouldn't be surprised if a Linux phone has a real chance.

Linux mobile is a necessity. Apple is regularly dragged to court because of their walled garden bullshit and Google tries to catch up to them in that regard

I assume it will still be possible to enable the APIs with adb.

So this will mostly affect users in that in-between skill level where they know how to use a third-party app store (or how to download and install apps from a file browser) but don't know how to use adb. I'm not so sure how big that segment is. Probably pretty small.

For the group of users who are tech-illiterate (the common case), this is actually a very welcome change for malware prevention.

users in that in-between skill level where they know how to use a third-party app store (or how to download and install apps from a file browser) but don't know how to use adb

That knows just enough to cause trouble user is probably the kind of person who is the target for the kind of malware this fix is meant to combat. As long as those of us who want to tinker safely still have a way to do so then this is probably a net positive.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure whether it’ll be possible to still enable a legitimate, sideloaded app’s Accessibility or Notification Listener service if it’s hit with ECM restrictions. It’s possible to disable Restricted Settings for an app, so it should also be possible with ECM restrictions, but I can’t say for sure since I haven’t been able to get the feature to work yet in Android 15.

So we don't even know if this is going to be a restriction for people who know what they're doing. Pitchforks on standby, but I'd assume there must be a workaround for actual developers etc.

This shit comes up e very 5 or so yrs. It's a nothing burger.

I do UX for mobile apps and websites. I can't use that excuse.