Google trying to kill MacroDroid again

[Jacob L]

Google is restricting which apps can see the other installed apps on your device

Google will be restricting the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission, which is used by Android apps to see which apps are installed on a given device.

www.xda-developers.com

 

[Dm114]

Google is restricting which apps can see the other installed apps on your device

Google will be restricting the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission, which is used by Android apps to see which apps are installed on a given device.

www.xda-developers.com

 

[SuperDaniel]

I can't understand why they don't let the user make her own decisions, every app gets normally denied access and if I want I grant permission in App settings

 

[MacroDroidDev]

This will be a major pain if MacroDroid is blocked from using this. I will have to wait and see if they are prepared to allow MacroDroid to have this permission. It's not possible to apply for this yet, they will let us know and then we have 60 days before we are nuked.

You are absolutely correct that Android has a permissions model so use it and let the user decide if they want to grant a particular app this access. Now Google moan about permission fatigue and that users are too dumb to cope with permissions. Their solution to this is to remove the permission from everyone except for their little club who they will arbitrarily decide are worthy. They are piece by little piece exerting their total control over the (cough) open Android OS.

 

[AkiraMenai]

This will be a major pain if MacroDroid is blocked from using this. I will have to wait and see if they are prepared to allow MacroDroid to have this permission. It's not possible to apply for this yet, they will let us know and then we have 60 days before we are nuked.

You are absolutely correct that Android has a permissions model so use it and let the user decide if they want to grant a particular app this access. Now Google moan about permission fatigue and that users are too dumb to cope with permissions. Their solution to this is to remove the permission from everyone except for their little club who they will arbitrarily decide are worthy. They are piece by little piece exerting their total control over the (cough) open Android OS.

Could you feasibly develop 2 versions, one for the play store and one that comes from your website alongside the helper file? I think most people would be willing to pay for a 2nd (more capable) version just to spite Goolag.

 

[Jacob L]

You just do this:

<manifest package="com.nikit.app">
	<queries>
	<package android:name="com.fake.app" />
	<package android:name="com.fake.game" />
	</queries>

According to https://proandroiddev.com/how-to-get-users-installed-apps-in-android-11-b4a4d2754286

 

[MacroDroidDev]

You just do this:

<manifest package="com.nikit.app">
	<queries>
	<package android:name="com.fake.app" />
	<package android:name="com.fake.game" />
	</queries>

According to https://proandroiddev.com/how-to-get-users-installed-apps-in-android-11-b4a4d2754286

The issue is not technical. The issue is that Google will not allow most apps to have the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission (They wont allow on the Play Store).

 

[MacroDroidDev]

Could you feasibly develop 2 versions, one for the play store and one that comes from your website alongside the helper file? I think most people would be willing to pay for a 2nd (more capable) version just to spite Goolag.

Technically it's feasible sure. Practically it's just not do-able (maintaining 2 versions with different functionality/alternative payments/update mechanisms). I'm sure only a small percentage of users (ie. the sort of people on this forum) would ever use the off play store version.

Google perpetuate the myth that the Play store is not a monopoly because you can install apps from other sources, however from a commercial stand point this is nonsense and the Play Store is the only thing that matters.

 

[Jacob L]

It can just go in the helper can't it?

I wonder if Google will exempt automation apps. How will T**ker cope?

 

[MacroDroidDev]

Yes it can go in the helper file, but it's undesirable. This is a play store policy so it starts to get a bit dangerous to do this in terms of if this is allowable. If Google decide it's not they will just ban the app with no warning.

I think there is a fair chance automation apps will be allowed this permission and Tasker is the app which has most clout and vocal users to make this more likely. From what I have read in the past the Tasker author has some level of access into Android support channels (ie. he can get real humans to talk to him), whereas I have precisely zero.