Most Phone Apps Want Unnecessary Device Access

Most popular mobile apps request system permissions that aren't necessary for their stated functions, according to a new study. In some cases, an app requested more unnecessary functions than necessary ones.

The figures come from NordVPN, which examined the five most popular apps in 18 common categories. They repeated the exercise for both Android and iOS, making a combined total of 103 different apps. (Source: nordvpn.com)

Both mobile operating systems now use a permissions system that means apps must request specific permission for different types of access to a phone's data and components - for example: contacts, stored files, or the camera.

In theory at least, users can grant some permissions while rejecting others. However, it's not always clear which permissions are genuinely necessary for the app to work as advertised.

One in Five Requests Questionable

The NordVPN survey relied on a little subjectivity about whether a particular permission was necessary for the core functions of the app.

It found that on average 20 percent of the requested permissions were unnecessary. Only 13 percent of Android apps and 40 percent of iOS apps requested no unnecessary permissions. With 16 Android apps and 18 iOS apps, the majority of the requested permissions were unnecessary.

While the problem appeared to be worse with Android, the study authors noted this is partly to do with iOS blocking some access completely, with no option to give permissions. That's part of a common security-vs-freedom debate with the two systems.

Green Light Could Be Bad News

According to the study, the most common type of unnecessary permission was accessing data from the user's activity outside of the app itself. Other common requests for unnecessary permissions included location data and access to the camera, stored photos, and the microphone.

It seems users find apps accessing phone hardware particularly worrying. The latest version of Android now displays a small green light whenever an app is accessing the camera or microphone. The idea is that if users sees this light when they aren't expecting it, they can be alerted to possibly spyware on their device. (Source: croma.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Do you pay any attention to app permission requests? Are studies like this useful or is it too subjective to say whether a permission is necessary? Do you prefer Apple's approach of blocking some access completely or Android's approach of giving more choice to users about granting permissions?