Skip to main content

Android P Will Prevent Apps From Accessing Your Phone’s Camera

phone cameras

Google is reportedly adding a privilege limiting measure to Android P, to prevent apps from accessing your phone’s camera and microphone without your knowledge. It may be useful, but it has its own set of problems.
One of the main concerns with Android security is app permissions.
Thankfully, future updates will come with more safeguard measures to make sure your privacy remains intact and apps don’t get unrestrained access to sensitive privileges.
Noted by XDA Developers, which saw the feature within its source code, Android P will come with measures to prevent apps from accessing your camera and microphone if they are running in the background. Hence, preventing them from recording any data without your knowledge.

Preventing Access

If an app does try to access them, it will be shuttered with an error message. Google hasn’t officially announced the feature yet.
The news should bring more peace of mind to Android users, after a malware called GhostCtrl was found to have recorded audio and video from Android phones a few months back. Apps which trick their users into installing them and then proceed to violate their privacy would be most-affected by this change.

Problems With This Measure

However, as Slashgear notes, the system may cause problems with certain third-party apps. It gives the example of anti-theft apps, which come with the feature of recording from a phone’s cameras without reminding their users about it (understandable, if the device is accessed after being stolen).
Voice chat clients, which stay active in the background, shouldn’t have any issues accessing the camera and the mic though.
Fragmentation
The security measures may not be enough but it’s a start. Ultimately, the biggest hindrance to the initiative should be the Android ecosystem’s fragmentation.
With only 1.1% of devices running Oreo six months after its release, it will take a long time before a majority of the devices get to Android P with safety measures to prevent apps from accessing our cameras and mics without consent.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Honda Launches the CR-V SUV in Pakistan

The 2018 Honda CR-V has been launched in Pakistan and it looks charming. Honda has finally launched the 2018 Honda CR-V in Pakistan. This Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) has proven to be pretty popular around the world with an average of 300,000 units sold annually. In Pakistan, the Honda CR-V is gaining the popularity and attention of local auto enthusiasts. Honda CR-V 2018 was recognized as ‘2018 Motor Trend SUV of the year’ recently as well. The international model of CR-V has these four variants: Honda CR-V LX (Standard), Honda CR-V EX, Honda CR-V EX-L, Honda CR-V Touring. The CR-V offers pretty great features when you look at it. Let's take a look at what Honda Compact Recreational Vehicle (CR-V) has to offer. Exterior Because of its shiny new sporty-looking exterior, the vehicle is placed in small sports utility vehicle’s category. The exterior, no doubt, makes you want to look twice as some modifications to the previous model have been made. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

11 Reasons Why Electric Cas Are Better Than Fossil Fuel Burners!

With the fact that the conventional car industry has been revolutionizing, people around the globe are keenly captivated in buying electric vehicles despite cheaper petrol and diesel sucking engine vehicles. Electric cars will take over conventional vehicles throughout the world. Here is why you should look no further in adopting the trend! Less to No Maintenance Since electric motors have few moving parts (20) as compared to their inefficient counterparts (up to 2000). ICEs also have air/fuel filters, engine oil,  coolant, spark plugs, exhaust system, starter motor,  fuel injector, radiator, and oxygen sensor. EVs do not have any such parts and it's much simpler. Batteries of an EV do not degrade that easily and have a high mileage warranty with most dealers. More research is underway to scale back production costs for long-lasting batteries. Lower Fuel Cost EV drivers have the advantage of significantly lower operational costs.  Their electricity to c...
Post a Comment
Read more

New iPhone X SE renders leave nothing to the imagination

iPhone SE 2 or whatever Apple may call it when it will be officially announced, looks quite close to becoming a reality. The Cupertino giant seems to be gearing up the launch of its next mid-range smartphone as the recent renders revealed by  Phone Arena  affirms the previous leak of  Olixar iPhone SE 2018  screen protector. Apple’s iPhone SE 2 that earlier surfaced in a hands-on video with a design quite identical to Apple’s tenth anniversary smartphone iPhone X, has recently been affirmed in renders by Phone Arena with quite an investigative report.  “The iPhone SE 2 is now rumored to have a similar bezel-less design, complete with a notch, just like the X, and is, indeed, closer to reality than ever before” , the report states. Nayatel Partners With Kaspersky to Offer Total Security to Its Users Apple’s iPhone X SE has been previously spotted in sketches posted by  BGR , which shows that the smartphone may featu...
Post a Comment
Read more