WithAndroid 11 , Google ’s force all apps to use the machine ’s built - in camera app — as opposed to whatever third - party television camera app you may have set as your default — when snapping photos or taking telecasting in ordering to better protect user ’ positioning data , a company rep toldthe Vergeon Thursday .
The Android engineering team first mentioned the changeon Monday , explaining that “ we consider it ’s the right trade - off to protect the secrecy and security measure of our user ” in a response to issues about Android 11 ’s ongoing genus Beta . Google has since confirmed to the Verge that this variety is part of Android 11 ’s focus on privacy and a note was added toAndroid 11 demeanor changes documentexplaining the decisiveness :
“ This is design to guarantee that the EXIF positioning metadata is right march establish on the location permissions define within the app broadcast the intent . ”
Photo: Gizmodo
Put simply , just about anytime you take a photo on your equipment , that image gets geotagged with the GPS coordinates of where you took it . Google ’s trying to control that the app creditworthy for accessing your equipment ’s camera ca n’t environ Android ’s license system and quietly glean your localization data .
Which does materialize : In 2019 , researchers found that more than 1,000 Android apps were circumventing limitation and secretly siphon off personal data from sources like Wi - Fi connections and pic metadata , even after users explicitly denied them permission to do so . The popular exposure - delete app Shutterfly was among them , accused of quietly collecting GPS coordinates from drug user photos and relaying that information to the companionship ’s servers . Shutterfly afterwards refuse these allegement and said that the company only meet location data after being granted explicit permission from users , consort to aCNN reportat the prison term .
For better or worsened , this update brings Android 11 more in line with the form of walled garden you ’d find on Apple ’s products , though it does n’t cut off substance abuser from third - party camera apps altogether .
“ This variety does not affect users ’ capacity to install and use any television camera app to capture images or videos immediately . A user can typeset a third party camera app as the default camera app , ” the Android 11 behaviour changes document reads .
So you ’ll still be able to take pictures immediately with apps like OpenCamera , A Better Camera , or Camera FV-5 , whether you found them by intercept the app ’s image on your home CRT screen or employ a shortcut like double - clicking your power button . And , as the Verge eminence , pop apps with camera already baked in like Snapchat and Instagram wo n’t be affected by this update .
https://gizmodo.com/google-just-rolled-out-a-slew-of-new-android-features-1844683803
The key divergence is that if you ’re in an Android app ( again , one that does n’t have a work up - in camera already ) and go to take a picture , it will take you straight to your gadget ’s camera app rather than offer you a option of which app to use .
It ’s a little but significant workaround that beg the question : why does n’t Google just boot these no - serious apps that are slip people ’s data off its manoeuvre Store ? But then I commend that , if Google made any serious attempt to snap down on those form of insurance infringements , it ’d probably have to get free ofmost of its library . And so , the bandaid approach it is !
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