I'm using XPrivacyLua to manage and restrict applications on Android 7 and 8 but I was wondering if an app ops manager won't suffice on Android 10 and newer? I want full control over the permission an application requests not just the list Google considers dangerous.
I have found two potential candidates App Ops and Permission Manager X that looks like they should be able to do the job but how do they compare with one another and XPrivacyLua?
App Ops requires that you install either Shizuku or Island that will provide it with access to the system whereas Permission Manager X uses ADB over a TCP connection.
Can anyone provide some information in this regard?
A possible solution is to use both : a permission manager (using App Ops services) and a privacy manager (XPrivacyLua).
Sometimes, a permission manager can break an app so you should use a privacy manager to avoid it. But when it doesn't, use a permission manager.
But it remains a question. What is the best permission manager ?
App Ops is popular but it contained ads.
There is also Permission Manager X and AppOpsX, both on F-Droid and without any ads.
But i do not know which one is the best.
XPrivacyLua is the most capable perhaps. It requires XPosed framework, which was late for Android11 so i switched to AppOps. Also, EdXposed doesn't work for me, and LSPosed does require selecting target apps manually. Not sure if it's still the case now, but that was the second reason of switching.
AppOps needs Magisks Sui plugin so its "availability" is higher. It's paid like XPrivacyLua Pro. It hides device ids and phone numbers, and enforces basic permissions for careless users, which is suffiicient for me. The issues:
phone is very sluggish phone when it's "recovering configuration"
the backup skips system apps which is incredibly unhelpful
AppOpsX is too old and therefore inactive.
PermissionManagerX is what i'm going to test now, thanks for the info.
Author of Permission Manager X here. You may find this link helpful:
How does PMX compare to XPrivacyLua? Can they replace each other?
I ended up using Permission Manager X since I didn't want to root the device.
Related
Like to know if there is a program that can let me change the permissions for each application individual. For example when i install angry birds to let me choose, at the installation or after the setup, not to let it connect to internet or access my phone calls etc.
A quick search in the playstore shows an app called permissions denied. Root access is required and states that it does not work on all devices.
This one is not on the app store. Google an app called Lucky Patcher.
Just run the app, it will list all the installed apps you have, tap the app you want to change permissions for, select Open Menu of Patches, select Change Permissions, select the permissions you wish to change, reboot.
Believe you need root for this.
At the first two days that i bought the tf300 i installed and uninstalled many applications. And one of them had a feature to control the permissions on all the installed apps of the tf300. And i can't remember whta app was to install it again.
Found it
Ok thanks for the Help. Finally it was lucky patcher i was looking, but the Permissions denied app that the other guy suggested me, was fine too.
Thanks again.
I use LBE Privacy Guard and think its the best app to change permissions.
Every time i installed app it ask my to change permissions.
You can also stop send anonymus usage and error report.
DROIDWALL is a firewall that limits network traffic.
You can use white lists (disallows all programs, you select which you want to communicate) or black list (allows all programs, you select which to not communicate).
You need root to use this program.
It's in the Play store.
What are the best ways to monitor what permissions apps use? I know xprivacy monitors permission usage in real time, app ops seems to track actual permission usage and you can check the manifest to see what's asked for (but not used) what are the other methods?
nutpants said:
What are the best ways to monitor what permissions apps use? I know xprivacy monitors permission usage in real time, app ops seems to track actual permission usage and you can check the manifest to see what's asked for (but not used) what are the other methods?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have xposed framework/magisk modules installed
download xprivacy, and set it to limit all
whenever an app asks for permission , xprivacy will pop up and ask whether to grant or deny
does consume some battery though
SD Maid (app control)
Do you recommend being rooted or not?
Hey, I am currently searching for an app that can completely block the access to the internet (and maybe other permissions) for specific apps.
For a while now I have been using the original XPrivacy to block apps from accessing the internet (+other permissions) for many apps. I have been on Android 5 for a while now but now I am considering to switch to another ROM that is on Android 10 or higher.
I have already looked at XPrivacyLua, but it won't work for me, because it's not possible to restrict access to as many and detailed permissions as in the original XPrivacy, e.g: not possible to restrict internet access...
Apps the use the VPN connection to block the access won't work for me, because I use a VPN sometimes.
The only alternative and solution I have currently found is to use Permission Manager X and AFWall+
But sometimes Permission Manager X just resets the rules and won't apply them and with AFWall+ you need to select every connection type everytime, which is tedious
TLDR: Searching for apps like the original XPrivacy but for Android 10 or higher
I use App Ops sometimes to restrict permissions for certain applications. And I don't think it gives me enough control. For instance, if I want to completely take away an application's permission to play audio, I have NO option to do that. Yet I can do it with a command line. And then when I do that and look at the app in App Ops, all of a sudden App Ops knows that permission exists, whereas before it played ignorant. But command lines, contrary to what Linux users have hypnotized themselves into believing, are about the least user friendly way to interface with a device. I don't want to worry about remembering commands, remembering syntax, and typing everything perfectly with no spelling mistakes every time I want to do a simple job. And I wonder: if App Ops isn't telling me about a simple, useful permission like this one, what other useful permissions is it hiding from me? Could I, for instance, forbid the package installer from changing my screen orientation every time it runs? Where could I even find a full list of android permissions? When I try looking up lists like that, I don't see PLAY_AUDIO anywhere, so I know they're not complete.
Is there any App Ops manager that gives me the option to change ALL permissions, not just the permissions it thinks I want?
FailSafeNow said:
I use App Ops sometimes to restrict permissions for certain applications. And I don't think it gives me enough control. For instance, if I want to completely take away an application's permission to play audio, I have NO option to do that. Yet I can do it with a command line. And then when I do that and look at the app in App Ops, all of a sudden App Ops knows that permission exists, whereas before it played ignorant. But command lines, contrary to what Linux users have hypnotized themselves into believing, are about the least user friendly way to interface with a device. I don't want to worry about remembering commands, remembering syntax, and typing everything perfectly with no spelling mistakes every time I want to do a simple job. And I wonder: if App Ops isn't telling me about a simple, useful permission like this one, what other useful permissions is it hiding from me? Could I, for instance, forbid the package installer from changing my screen orientation every time it runs? Where could I even find a full list of android permissions? When I try looking up lists like that, I don't see PLAY_AUDIO anywhere, so I know they're not complete.
Is there any App Ops manager that gives me the option to change ALL permissions, not just the permissions it thinks I want?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever checked if App Manager suits your needs?
App Manager - Android package manager | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
A full-featured open source package manager for android.
f-droid.org
Oswald Boelcke said:
Did you ever checked if App Manager suits your needs?
App Manager - Android package manager | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
A full-featured open source package manager for android.
f-droid.org
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty darn good. I think I'll get a lot of usage out of that.
No permission relating to screen orientation, though?
When we deny/ block certain permissions to apps, how does Android (or iOS) enforce this?
There are two ways of enforcing this setting:
1. System tells the app not to ask for the permission because the user has denied it.
2. App keeps trying to access the particular permission, and the system continuously blocks it.
For example, if we deny location permission to an app, does the app no longer request location access, or does it keep trying to access location and system keeps blocking it?
If method 1 is how it works (and I doubt it), it would be great for performance and battery life.
If method 2 is how it works (and I think this is how it works), then the app would likely continue to drain battery even more than what it would if the permission was granted.
Can someone explain how this works?
Thanks.
TheMystic said:
When we deny/ block certain permissions to apps, how does Android (or iOS) enforce this?
There are two ways of enforcing this setting:
1. System tells the app not to ask for the permission because the user has denied it.
2. App keeps trying to access the particular permission, and the system continuously blocks it.
For example, if we deny location permission to an app, does the app no longer request location access, or does it keep trying to access location and system keeps blocking it?
If method 1 is how it works (and I doubt it), it would be great for performance and battery life.
If method 2 is how it works (and I think this is how it works), then the app would likely continue to drain battery even more than what it would if the permission was granted.
Can someone explain how this works?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first one if it's update to support the current SDK. App comunicate a request system-level (permission) and ask you to choose.
Granting / revoking permissions is done at app's level and controlled / noted by Android OS:
Permissions on Android | Android Developers
developer.android.com
Keep in mind that once an app has permission to use something, it can do so whenever it wants. While an app might have a legitimate reason for accessing your location, it could also check your location in the background every so often and send that data to advertisers - what will drain battery, of course.