Google will limit the applications that can see the applications installed on your mobile

The economy that has emerged around mobile phone apps isn’t just about creating paid apps or free alternatives with ads or in-app purchases.

The generation of information of each user and its subsequent sale is a booming business model and for this some apps, once installed, scan our mobile to find out what other apps are present on our device.

Google will limit which apps can see the list of installed apps

Today, Google has decided that the apps we use are private and will not allow any apps to access this list.

According to the development page dedicated to this subject, the authorization command QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES, which is the one used by applications to access said list, will be limited to certain applications, only those that need it to function.

Allowed use applies to apps that need to know which apps are installed on the device in order to achieve their purpose. Authorized use includes; Search for devices, antivirus apps, file managers, and browsers.

That way apps like Facebook wouldn’t have access to that list, which we know a lot of apps from Mark Zuckerberg’s company do.

This change will apply to apps designed for Android 11 or higher. Keep in mind that from November all apps and updates downloaded from the Google Play Store should be optimized for this version, so this rule will start to be used in general at that time.