This change is going to be implemented by May 5th
Google will soon make it more difficult for apps on the Play Store to see what that you’ve loaded (via XDA-Developers). As Ars Technica points out, the list of installed applications, as harmless as it can be, will reveal personal characteristics such as romantic interests and political affiliations to developers.
As a result, beginning May 5th, 2021, developers will have to provide a compelling justification for Google to grant you access to that information.
Apps that currently request the “QUERY ALL PACKAGES” permission on Android 11 will see the entire list of apps on your computer. However, Google recently revised its Developer Platform Rules, classifying the information as “internal and confidential user data,” limiting which applications to access it.
Apps may only use the authorization after the move takes place in May if their “main user facing feature or intent” necessitates “wide visibility into installed apps on the user’s computer.”
File managers, routers, and antivirus applications that use the data “for awareness or interoperability purposes” will be granted a pass “for protection related purposes.” Banking apps, digital wallet apps, and any other software that requires “financial activity functionality” will also be granted a pass.
Apps who don’t have a compelling reason to request the approval can be excluded from the Google Play Store. Both developers who wish to retain the permission in their apps must fill out a declaration form explaining why they need it.
If you’re afraid that developers will continue to violate the authorization, Google’s documentation makes it clear that it will prosecute infringing games, whether they’re exclusive to the Play Store or only changes to current ones. Ios may be suspended, and developer accounts may be terminated by Google.
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