- Aug 29, 2006
- 1,139
- 2
- 20,310
Well, I drank the Kool-aid and bought an Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S4). I've now handed over all the details of my life to Google; privacy is a thing of the past.
It burns my butt that all of those applications require access to the camera and microphone. Why would it need a microphone to browse the Internet? So most of these apps, which can't even be uninstalled, can listen to my bedroom at night or follow me around. I don't care if they are doing it with bad intentions, with good intentions, or not at all: the fact that they can is annoying to me.
With that rant over, is there a way to change or install something so that I have more detailed control over which apps can access the camera, contacts, accounts (why should I give access to all my logins and passwords in exchange for finding good fried chicken wherever I am)? Either limit which ones can actually access these devices or prompt me each time? Any way to get rid of the umpty-seven trash apps that came with it?
I am pretty ignorant in the world of Android. I am aware of rooting and jailbreaking, but only barely. I also know that at least one of those acts makes it impossible to download and update to the next version of Android when it comes out. I would prefer to avoid that.
So please guide this nearly clueless newbie. I understand computers well, but this particular ecosytem is entirely new to me. Well, I have an Android tablet, but it doesn't have cellular data, and I put tape over the camera and microphone.
It burns my butt that all of those applications require access to the camera and microphone. Why would it need a microphone to browse the Internet? So most of these apps, which can't even be uninstalled, can listen to my bedroom at night or follow me around. I don't care if they are doing it with bad intentions, with good intentions, or not at all: the fact that they can is annoying to me.
With that rant over, is there a way to change or install something so that I have more detailed control over which apps can access the camera, contacts, accounts (why should I give access to all my logins and passwords in exchange for finding good fried chicken wherever I am)? Either limit which ones can actually access these devices or prompt me each time? Any way to get rid of the umpty-seven trash apps that came with it?
I am pretty ignorant in the world of Android. I am aware of rooting and jailbreaking, but only barely. I also know that at least one of those acts makes it impossible to download and update to the next version of Android when it comes out. I would prefer to avoid that.
So please guide this nearly clueless newbie. I understand computers well, but this particular ecosytem is entirely new to me. Well, I have an Android tablet, but it doesn't have cellular data, and I put tape over the camera and microphone.
Facebook
Twitter