Sunday, June 12, 2011

Android or iPhone App?

The question is not which one is better. But, it's a privacy issue. For the same application, if it have two versions: one for Android platform and one for iPhone or iPod Touch, I will check to see which permission should I grant for an Android app. iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad does not give me that choice. Since I have no way to know what privilege an iOS application exercise on my mobile device, I will not using the iPhone. My iPod Touch and iPad does not contain any sensitive information like my contact, my phone number, so it's Ok.

For Android app, if it ask for
READ PHONE STATE AND IDENTITY
Allows the application to access the phone features of the device. An application with this permission can determine the phone number and serial number of this phone, whether a call is active, the number that call is connected to and the like.
or
READ CONTACT DATA
Allows an application to read all of the contact (address) data stored on your device. Malicious applications can use this to send your data to other people
I will not download to my Android phone. I may download to my iPod Touch or iPad if I need. Thus, if someone say there are more iPhone app download than Android app, is wrong.

I play the game, why you need to read phone state and identity or contact data? The game and many application just need this permission:

FULL INTERNET ACCESS
Allows an application to create network sockets.

I have chess.com game and Huffington Post on both Android and iOS devices because they don't ask for the right to read my phone state or my contact data.

No comments: