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submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by ijeff@lemdro.id to c/android@lemdro.id

Nitter link provided instead of Twitter post. Screenshot below.

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[-] mojo@lemm.ee 62 points 2 years ago

Why do you need to trust a launcher with your data at all? Why does it ever leave your device? This made me very skeptical about them.

[-] gelberhut@lemdro.id 23 points 2 years ago

A launcher needs a lot of privileges to do its work. I have to trust it that it does not collect/send anything to anywhere.

[-] mojo@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

My AOSP launcher has zero permissions, except one that I optionally enabled to see notifications so it can do the little notification dots on my app icons.

[-] gelberhut@lemdro.id 9 points 2 years ago

I was referencing usual launchers with a rich set of features. As fas as I remember, one can also disable most of the permissions for no a as well, but this will kill all cool features.

[-] mojo@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago

I can see it requiring internet for integrating a search bar like it does, but why does their servers need that info instead of directly sending it to the search engine?

[-] gelberhut@lemdro.id 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

My only point was, that nova needs a lot of permissions on my device to make its cool features working AND it has access to the internet. So, technically it can collect and upload a lot of user's data. If/how it does this, is a matter of trust.

And many people lost this trust.

[-] Carighan@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Well sure, but that also means it's rather limited in what it does. In theory if it had no permissions, it couldn't even list the installed apps.

So I guess what you want to say is that it has some permissions, but none that leave the direct context of launching apps?

But even then... do you include a search box in that? Should that show recently opened files in apps, too? A rather common feature those contextual per-app run-actions, but they require some way of either the launcher getting this from the app, or in turn the app supplying this action to the launcher. Include a web search in that box? Sync settings? Show notifications? Gestures? All of these require a host of permissions.

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Just install DuckDuckGo browser app and let it block any the trackers, job done. I've been using Nova on a new pixel 7a for a couple of months now and really happy with it (especially vs the incredibly stupid stock launcher, with its un-movable pointless widgets taking up half the home screen)

edit the DDG browser app runs a VPN which blocks trackers, I'm not making it up

[-] xcjs@programming.dev 3 points 2 years ago

Just so you're aware why people are disagreeing with you - an installed browser does not change the behavior of HTTP calls made in other applications.

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It's not just a browser though, it also blocks trackers in other apps. Or is the DDG app lying when it shows all the trackers it's blocking for each app?

Some few apps it literally breaks and need to have the tracker blocking disabled before they work again, so I'm pretty sure it's doing something. It runs as a VPN afaict

[-] xcjs@programming.dev 2 points 2 years ago

If it does include a VPN provider, then you're correct - it would work for other applications.

I don't think it's common knowledge for people who don't have the app, so you may want to include information about that in your original post.

this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023
181 points (100.0% liked)

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