456

Why are there so many apps that could be websites? (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago by sir_pronoun@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

99 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Seriously. I don't want to install something on my phone when the dev is just using a WebView, if that's what it's called. When the app is basically just a website with the browser hidden.

What's the reason for that? To attach the customer? To sell the app for money? Is there more ad revenue that way? Do you reach more people?

(Are there any good reasons for it, too? Security, maybe?)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 0 points 10 months ago

How do you know? I mean what makes you say that?

[-] FutileRecipe@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Sensors permission toggle: disallow access to all other sensors not covered by existing Android permissions (Camera, Microphone, Body Sensors, Activity Recognition) including an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, barometer, thermometer and any other sensors present on a given device.

[-] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 1 points 10 months ago

Very cool. I just checked Lineage OS and it looks like Google Play Services doesn't let you disable sensors permission. Can you do it on Graphene OS? Lineage lets you control it on all apps except Google Play Services it looks like, which would actually be one of the top apps to disable it on imo.

[-] FutileRecipe@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

I just checked Lineage OS and it looks like Google Play Services doesn't let you disable sensors permission. Can you do it on Graphene OS?

Yep, there's a toggle to disable by default globally. I also individually checked Google Play Services, Google Play Store and Google Services Framework, and all three can be denied the Sensors permission.

This is due to Sandboxed Google Play: "GrapheneOS has a compatibility layer providing the option to install and use the official releases of Google Play in the standard app sandbox. Google Play receives absolutely no special access or privileges on GrapheneOS as opposed to bypassing the app sandbox and receiving a massive amount of highly privileged access. Instead, the compatibility layer teaches it how to work within the full app sandbox."

[-] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 1 points 10 months ago

Wow awesome, thanks for the info!

[-] NightAuthor@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

I’m surprised that’s not commons behaviour now, just look at what people are doing in research papers. With enough of that data, they can figure out quite a lot about you and your life.

[-] goatmeal@midwest.social 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

GrapheneOS allows you to turn off sensors (accelerometers) by app

[-] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 1 points 10 months ago

Even Google Play Services and other system apps?

[-] goatmeal@midwest.social 2 points 10 months ago

Yep!

[-] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Edit: sorry, nevermind, you were talking about Graphene OS, not Lineage.

~~Wait a minute, what about physical activity sensors? Isn't that what the gyroscope and accelerometer fall under?~~

this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2024

456 points (97.3% liked)

Ask Lemmy

26916 readers

1569 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Please don't post about US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world

Rules: (interactive)

1) Be nice and; have fun

Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them

2) All posts must end with a '?'

This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?

3) No spam

Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.

4) NSFW is okay, within reason

Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].

5) This is not a support community.

It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.

Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.