Database Users

Android Privacy

Hi all, I have a major concern about privacy and all the 3rd party data collectors...
A lot of apps are uploading user info and stats to companies like Flurry, pinch media etc.
I'm about to make the move from iphone OS to android, and i'm looking for a opt out to keep my privacy intact.
Saurik creaded PrivaCy for the jailbreak community that enabled on\off toggles for the 4 major companies.
My issue on iphone was that Pinch Media alone gathered the following information without my knowledge :
* iPhone’s unique ID (imei)
* iPhone model
* OS version
* Application version (in this case, camera zoom 1.x)
* If the application is cracked/pirated
* If the iPhone is jailbroken
* Time & date I start the application
* Time & date I close the application
* My current latitude & longitude
* My gender (if Facebook enabled)
* My birth month (if Facebook enabled)
* My birth year (if Facebook enabled)
I want the option to chose weither or not this kind of info gets collected and distributed.
I've looked into this issue on the android platform, and it seems like there's no option other than not to install the app.
Take for instance Locale. To my knowledge it uploads my imei nr (+lot of other info) to Flurry, whilst i do see the developers need to gather info, and I do not see why my imei number should be uploaded at all.
When I get my android phone I can only chose NOT to install locale, but I just want to prevent it from uploading such info..
Can anybody create a toggle, preferably one that doesn't aquire root, or some guide as to hosts file editing, or a firewall app that will give me this control over my device?
regards
-e

just add a line in hosts file like the following for each website you want to block:
127.0.0.1 some.company.com

Fantastic, thanks mate.
Unfortunately I will have to have root permissions to edit the hosts file.
(it might take time before the htc desire gets root)
(edit: unless theres another way to get write permissions for that file..?)
If I do mess with the hosts file I'd be keen on adding a fair few entries to block ads too..
Since the hosts file gets loaded in ram at bootup, will there be any noticably difference in speed due to the size increase?
regards
-e

could you please post the host-file or the addresses/ip's of the companies your gonna block?
they should be of interest for everybody here

1. You will need root access.
2. The change shouldn't impact the performance in the least. Any local host lookup is always faster than DNS lookup. Meaning that it should increase performance in cases where it finds the match in hosts file, although I doubt if you will notice it.
3. I wouldn't worry about RAM. The host file, even if you add a hundred entries, given that each line consumes 100 bytes, should still be under 10kb.

Great to hear. Thanks for the replies.
@fabsn: I'll post my hosts file as soon as I get this working.. (gimme a few weeks to get my phone, move to android and root
Although: I'd be keen on using the adblock app in androidstore (the one that modifies the hosts file), but my manual changes will break every time I update the app.
I'll try to get hold of the dev to se if he/she might add these info collectors (like Flurry) in another version so that people can get "the best of both worlds"
By the way: I wish all devs that utilizes info collection in their apps could just provide users with an opt out, then my problem would be solved...
-e

http://textbin.com/x6430
Here is a complete "phone home" list for the iPhone. A lot of this will directly apply to android as well, so perhaps a nice soul here at the forum could compile the most useful adresses for me (I'm writing on my phone and it's a b**** to do this on)
the list is taken from: i-phone-home.blogspot(dot)com/
so credit goes to that community.
I really want to combine this with the hosts file that jamesisbored/droid has for adblock..
I will test this once desire hits my mailbox and someone finds root.
-e

This sounds like a great idea. Once a comprehensive list is compiled it should be passed on to "bigtincan". I know myself and a lot of other people use their "ad free" app to block ads using the same method mentioned by Ady above. Although they may be blocking them already and I don't know. I've never looked closely at the host file.
http://bigtincan.com/downloads/android.html

Any progress made on this end?

ady said:
1. You will need root access.
2. The change shouldn't impact the performance in the least. Any local host lookup is always faster than DNS lookup. Meaning that it should increase performance in cases where it finds the match in hosts file, although I doubt if you will notice it.
3. I wouldn't worry about RAM. The host file, even if you add a hundred entries, given that each line consumes 100 bytes, should still be under 10kb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am new to modding my phone, would you be so kind as to go into more detail how to do this. Specifically, what is this "Hosts file" you speak of? I do have root access and searched my entire phone for a file like that with no joy.
Also, the links provided to possible host data do not work, can somebody update that?
Thanks!!!:laugh:

You may be interested in the MOAB (mother of all adblockers) thread here on xda. Best ad blocker out there, imo, if you haven't already. Sorry, I can't link it now.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

New Stock Application GUIDS

Here is a list of the new stock application/settings GUIDS that I have found so far:
Code:
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea562a": CompanyApps
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea562c": SIMApplications
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea562d": Family
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5647": BackupSettings
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5648": Backup
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5670": Feedback
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5682": BingVision
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5683": Wallet
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5801": EaseOfAccess
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5802": KidsCorner
"5b04b775-356b-4aa0-aaf8-6491ffea5803": KidsCornerSettings
"B0894DFD-4671-4BB9-BC17-A8B39947FFB6": Sharing
I am sure there are more and there are ones with sub pages as well. I can't verify the sub pages until I find a way to launch an application from within a native app. If someone provides me a new way to execute native apps I will update My Supreme Shortcuts app for WP8 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1343993 .

MJCS said:
I can't verify the sub pages until I find a way to launch an application from within a native app. If someone provides me a new way to execute native apps I will update My Supreme Shortcuts app for WP8 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1343993 .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can launch apps by GUID with NFC tags. You can optionally supply parameters. Maybe there's some parameter that let's you specify a sub page.
Search for Mifare on Amazon. I grabbed a few of the 1k tags. Install an app called NFC Interactor to write them. I just tested with the Wallet app. When I tap the tag (after writing it), it says "Someone wants to use wallet with you. [Open App] [Ignore]". When I hit [Open App], it prompts me for my pin. Let me know if there are any other interesting ones worth trying (i.e., ones not available from the start menu) and I'll give it a shot.

scottt732 said:
You can launch apps by GUID with NFC tags. You can optionally supply parameters. Maybe there's some parameter that let's you specify a sub page.
Search for Mifare on Amazon. I grabbed a few of the 1k tags. Install an app called NFC Interactor to write them. I just tested with the Wallet app. When I tap the tag (after writing it), it says "Someone wants to use wallet with you. [Open App] [Ignore]". When I hit [Open App], it prompts me for my pin. Let me know if there are any other interesting ones worth trying (i.e., ones not available from the start menu) and I'll give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, wrote a few with these GUIDs and it was awesome.
How are you locating these GUIDs? I'm curious, since having a complete list would make NFC tag writing awesome. For example, having a tag launch internet sharing would be the most useful for me, while others would likely benefit from a music app, etc.

Getintothegame said:
Same here, wrote a few with these GUIDs and it was awesome.
How are you locating these GUIDs? I'm curious, since having a complete list would make NFC tag writing awesome. For example, having a tag launch internet sharing would be the most useful for me, while others would likely benefit from a music app, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jaxbot has an app called Folders. If you run the desktop version, you can look up apps in the Marketplace by name. Search results yield not only icons, but GUIDS as well.

Requesting Help: Would like to add and "Add Account" Option on List View..

Requesting Help for an Application I am modifying., There is a very simple Password Manager called UPM, and basically I have been modifying it's base code to have additional features. The original Code is located at "github.com/adrian/upm-android", and the modified code I am working on is at "github.com/servingbaby/UPM-Epassafe".
So far I have been successful in implementing most of the changes I have planned for. I'm currently stuck though with one change I would like to put in. In the Listview, when long press on one of the items, I currently have the choice to edit that particular item. I would like to add the option to also delete that current item.
I have attempted different avenues of implementing the code that would do this, however I keep coming up short as the best way to get this to work.
I would really appreciate some help in solving this issue.
The particular files I have been looking at are, AccountsList.java, AddEditAccount.java, FullAccountList.java, ViewAccountDetails.java, and account_context_menu.xml.
Thankyou for any advice!

In the onlongclicklistener method you should inflate a contextmenu. You can add options in an xml file or programatically ( http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/menus.html).
Sent from my NexusHD2 using xda app-developers app

Thank you for your advice. I've pretty much modified the program in so many areas. Almost like a different program now. Ended up changing a lot of features and adding some. There's only one more thing left for me to do before I declare beta over and that is to get a delete account option from the context menu from List View. It's been the one thing I've had the hardest time with.

Store Item Finder / Item Locator

I'm trying to build an app for a school project that will locate items in a grocery store. For example, if I type in "orange juice" into the app, it will create a marker on a floorplan of the store. In this way I want to be able to populate a map with markers that correspond to items in a grocery list. Users can then walk around the store and swipe off markers as they pick up the items.
Does anyone know how I could do this? Are there any open source Android apps currently out there I could look at?
I feel like this would be a fairly simple project involving just uploading a .jpeg into an app and assigning coordinates to classes of items, like "juice" to {20,30} or something like that, but I have very little programming experience and am lost as to how to start.

bump

Well, people normally do not get an answer if they ask how to do the whole app.
So try to find the solution yourself and ask the community if you've got more specific questions/problems.

nikwen said:
Well, people normally do not get an answer if they ask how to do the whole app.
So try to find the solution yourself and ask the community if you've got more specific questions/problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I realize that I'm not going to get a step by step process... but I was just asking for general advice. Somebody suggested I use a .shp file and use an overlay with all the markers corresponding to the items, then create a pop up marker event for every time the user selects an item, which was helpful.
I'm looking for general ideas on implementation, that's all.

justinyeh said:
Yeah I realize that I'm not going to get a step by step process... but I was just asking for general advice. Somebody suggested I use a .shp file and use an overlay with all the markers corresponding to the items, then create a pop up marker event for every time the user selects an item, which was helpful.
I'm looking for general ideas on implementation, that's all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could save the name and the coordinates to files using JSON which can easily be written manually.
Have a look at Google's gson library.

Way to store Preferences

Hey Guys,
I am creating a app to rename other apps via xposed and the main code is written. Now I simply want to make a interface where you can define a app to rename and then enter a new name. For the beginning I thought about a Activity where you enter the Package Name and the desired name. Later on I want to use a list view to show all apps, from where you can choose one to rename(Like App Settings etc.). To show the renamed apps I want to use a ListView. Now I am stuck with a problem: My xposed code works with an array to check and rename. The list view can be used with an array or an arraylist, but I need a way to store the preferences(which are stored in a array).
Do you have a good idea or a sample how to realise this? And does somebody know a nice App List type of thing(I googled, but the project there aren't usable with my kind of approach.)

GalaxyInABox said:
Hey Guys,
I am creating a app to rename other apps via xposed and the main code is written. Now I simply want to make a interface where you can define a app to rename and then enter a new name. For the beginning I thought about a Activity where you enter the Package Name and the desired name. Later on I want to use a list view to show all apps, from where you can choose one to rename(Like App Settings etc.). To show the renamed apps I want to use a ListView. Now I am stuck with a problem: My xposed code works with an array to check and rename. The list view can be used with an array or an arraylist, but I need a way to store the preferences(which are stored in a array).
Do you have a good idea or a sample how to realise this? And does somebody know a nice App List type of thing(I googled, but the project there aren't usable with my kind of approach.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah the data storage problem... I think we all came across this at least once . I suppose you read this guide on the different options available? Well there are actually three options: SharedPreferences, text or csv file and SQL.
The first one would need some work around and is probably the slowest. You would save a separate string directly into the SharedPreferences (maybe in a new file to avoid collisions?) with the array name and its index somehow in the key. That's just two methods of coding but not the nicest way to do it.
The text or csv file however is the more common way, here you'd save your array in one line of the file, each item separated with a ; or some other char. Needs a bit more coding and also the WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission on preKitKat if I remember correctly.
The third one is the nicest and most modular one. Because it makes use of SQL it needs quite a bit of knowledge and some coding (but less than the text file).
I guess for simple things that you want to do it is better to stay away from SQL for now unless you know how to use it and use the SharedPreferences.
Edit: take a look at the answers to this question, they give you the code as well... And you can use StringSets in ICS and above if the order of your list doesn't matter !

I'd say go down the SQLite DB way, chances are that if you plan on expanding your coding knowledge and want to keep creating apps you'll be needing to learn this in the future anyway so why delay?
Google AndroidHive and look at their SQL tutorial - I used it when learning and found it very informative
Sent from my HTCSensation using Tapatalk

Thank you very much! As coming from windows, first of all I thought about SQL as well, but it seems oversized for the set of data i want to store. I also took a look at the stackoverflow thread you linked. It looks easy to implement, but the need to use an external class file made me look for another way. I found this one, which works pretty well for me, as I look forward to interchange the method of saving the data with a better one using the SharedPreferences(which actually should be really easy with my code).
Maybe you can tell me yet another thing: Is there a way of declaring an object(like the ArrayList) to make it accessible from every class except from giving every class(activity) it's own "load the preferences" and "save the preferences" code block or sending intents all over the place? This would make saving much easier and allow me to update the preferences during runtime and without a reboot
Edit: This was my answer to.SimplicityApks ^^ I'll take a closer look at SQL now, since you, Jonny, told me that it' nevertheless necessary.

GalaxyInABox said:
Thank you very much! As coming from windows, first of all I thought about SQL as well, but it seems oversized for the set of data i want to store. I also took a look at the stackoverflow thread you linked. It looks easy to implement, but the need to use an external class file made me look for another way. I found this one, which works pretty well for me, as I look forward to interchange the method of saving the data with a better one using the SharedPreferences(which actually should be really easy with my code).
Maybe you can tell me yet another thing: Is there a way of declaring an object(like the ArrayList) to make it accessible from every class except from giving every class(activity) it's own "load the preferences" and "save the preferences" code block or sending intents all over the place? This would make saving much easier and allow me to update the preferences during runtime and without a reboot
Edit: This was my answer to.SimplicityApks ^^ I'll take a closer look at SQL now, since you, Jonny, told me that it' nevertheless necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome
You mean you want to make your ArrayList, which is an instance variable in the activity, accessible to every other class within your package without having an instance of your activity at hands? Well the basic solution would be to make the ArrayList static. But that is not recommended because it won't be created and garbage collected at the same time as your activity and also it's not a nice way .
If you had an instance of the activity it would be just using a public getter for it, but without I'd put your ArrayList into a separate class following the Singleton pattern. That way you have only one global instance which contains the ArrayList.

Thanks again for your reply! I changed my mind about the ArrayList and created a method, where everything is stored in the SharedPreferences and the ArrayList's only purpose is the use with the ListView and Adapter. This way I don't have to write the ArrayList to the SharedPreferences and changes will be much easier to control. Although I had to implement another type of save/load method to interact with the class thats being loaded by xposed. That was needed because of the restriction that you can only load SharedPreferences with a context, which my class doesn't have. It's an inconvenient way, but it works