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Hey Everyone,
Wanted to tell all of you about a neat app we're developing, called Flexilis.
It's a mobile security suite for Windows Mobile devices, that keeps your device and data safe from loss, theft, hackers, viruses, malware, spam, and more.
We've currently opened signups for our private beta testing, if you're interested in checking it out, just hit up http://beta.flexilis.com and sign up, and feel free to chat about the product here
If anyone has questions or runs into trouble, just shoot us an email at [email protected] and we'll help you out!
-Chris
Community Director,
Flexilis Inc.
[email protected]
Also, if any of you request an invite and it hasnt gotten granted within a day or so, let me know and I'll take care of it.
If you weren't asking for so much personal information, you might actually get people to try your app...
we're actually working on revising that, the reason we ask for the phone number is because it's used to sms you your download link for the software later on in the process, we're in the process of moving that to later on in the process, as well as an explanation of why we ask for it.
Thanks for the feedback!
-Chris
NRGZ28 said:
If you weren't asking for so much personal information, you might actually get people to try your app...
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Hey man,
nice thing with this soft, that we give the phone number is not so a big problem i think. could you post a little bit infos about the program? Cause on your side there a not many informations.
But i ithink i'll give it a try...
I just have one little question, on you privacy page you write:
When you use the Flexilis Services, our servers automatically record certain information about your usage. These logs may include information such as the IP address, mobile device identification number, phone number, operating system, version information, wireless carrier, web requests, browser type, browser language, referring pages, landing pages, pages viewed, or other usage information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do record the pages we visit?
we're still working on a little bit of a tour/walkthrough area of the software on the front page, as we get closer to public beta, but for now there's nothing there yet. My first post in this thread gives a brief summary of it though. Feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected] with any questions!
-Chris
There's nothing in the software that tracks the pages you view or anything, what that refers to is on our end we track what pages users use on the flexilis website the most, much the same way other websites do, to track what pages and content on our site our most popular, etc.
JeckyllHavok said:
I just have one little question, on you privacy page you write:
Why do record the pages we visit?
Click to expand...
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I'm still not sure what your program do, but it certainly doesn't behave the way I expect.
1) Why to require authorization so often?
2) Contrary to the stated phone number is not accepted for authorization. Only email.
3) I don't really know what you mean by "a few minutes", but currently Flexilis is authorizing my phone already for more than two hours. I see no progress bar and I don't understan what's going.
4) I can't stop authorization process.
5) Why the authorization process continues even when I close all connections? Did you invent new method of communication?
6) The program is hidden from task managers and process viewers. What for?
I didn't sniff the traffic but currently behavior of your program reminds more of malware rather than security software.
My conclusion: As I don't understand what your program is doing, I'm not going to test it anymore until additional guidance is provided.
Sorry, if I'm sounding harsh. It's just writing style (tough work, you know )
No worries
1] once it's authorized the first time, it shouldnt have to authorize again, what kind of phone are you authorizing it on? we're making some fixes to the authorization process to make it even simpler that should roll out in the next release.
2] if you're outside of the US, you might need to add your country code and such if that's the case, let me know, or send me an email to [email protected] so we can look into it.
3] per all authorization questions, it'll try til its authorized, again we're fixing this.
4] per the it being hidden from task managers, we've given this some discussion, for right now it's a security feature to try to prevent theives from disabling the software, though we might fix that in the future to have the app visible in there somehow.
As far as being more indepth on all of the features, we are working on a tour of sorts to explain it all before the beta goes public.
Thanks for the feedback!
-Chris
mrcaze said:
I'm still not sure what your program do, but it certainly doesn't behave the way I expect.
1) Why to require authorization so often?
2) Contrary to the stated phone number is not accepted for authorization. Only email.
3) I don't really know what you mean by "a few minutes", but currently Flexilis is authorizing my phone already for more than two hours. I see no progress bar and I don't understan what's going.
4) I can't stop authorization process.
5) Why the authorization process continues even when I close all connections? Did you invent new method of communication?
6) The program is hidden from task managers and process viewers. What for?
I didn't sniff the traffic but currently behavior of your program reminds more of malware rather than security software.
My conclusion: As I don't understand what your program is doing, I'm not going to test it anymore until additional guidance is provided.
Sorry, if I'm sounding harsh. It's just writing style (tough work, you know )
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Authorizing a device ... what a hassle. I finally gave up since I couldn't tell if it was doing anything. No more testing for or feedback from me.
fredcatsmommy: sorry it didnt work out for you. hopefully in the future when that's fixed (should be less than a week), we can lure you back, it does some amazing stuff, but we do run into bugs from time to time due to the vast number of windows mobile devices out there, and only having a small test bed of them to work with. Keep your eyes peeled, and we'll have that fixed soon!
fredcatsmommy said:
Authorizing a device ... what a hassle. I finally gave up since I couldn't tell if it was doing anything. No more testing for or feedback from me.
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Click to collapse
I think you need to tell us what the app actually does?
I have read this and your site and still don't know what it does?
Will hold off on trying it till I know.
How long is the initializing and activating supposed to take?
seriously, the authorizing bugs should have been worked out before releasing a beta here. we cant even tell if its running, authorizing, stealing information from our devices, etc.. I surely hope this is a legit app youre pushing, if so, FIX IT, so we can at least see what it does.
thx
I installed and authorized with no issues what-so-ever... contrary to what everyone else is saying everything seems to work just fine. works great and doesn't seem to take much memory... not a single complaint here!
Advertising your application for beta purposes is usually not a problem. But, it seems you are here more for "recruiting" testers than anything else. Looks like you joined for this purpose only.
My suggestion to you, is to give a little more description on your develpoment. Seems there are too many questions going unanswered here.
jhw549 said:
I installed and authorized with no issues what-so-ever... contrary to what everyone else is saying everything seems to work just fine. works great and doesn't seem to take much memory... not a single complaint here!
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what device do you have? did you do anything special to get it working?
I have a sprint vogue and installed to main mem and the data conn. is constantly active.
Polargoat said:
what device do you have? did you do anything special to get it working?
I have a sprint vogue and installed to main mem and the data conn. is constantly active.
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I have an HTC Mobul/Titan using default Rom/Radio with WinMo 6.1
To install it I just did what I would any other and installed it onto internal memory...
Correction: The application works just fine if you don't have push e-mail (aren't connected to a remote exchange server), I have been having problems all day with my push e-mail from mail2web which I use to forward my work e-mail to my phone. I have therefore decided to remove it as I can't afford to have it interfere with work.
Hello everyone. I am coming from windows mobile which I have been using since 2003. I really like Android but I had a few questions and concerns.
1. I realized that apps have access to personal data and are able to access internet and dial. Should I be concerned? How can I be assured that an app developer is not after my bank info and such?
2. Why are so many apps running in the background when I haven't opened them?
I am already using advanced task killer but when i look at the apps running there's a full list even tho I didn't open them.
3. Is there a file explorer on android?
Any tips and tricks would be appreciated.
sammyluva said:
Hello everyone. I am coming from windows mobile which I have been using since 2003. I really like Android but I had a few questions and concerns.
1. I realized that apps have access to personal data and are able to access internet and dial. Should I be concerned? How can I be assured that an app developer is not after my bank info and such?
Google confirms identities of developers. Use your best judgement. Is it possible? Yes. If an app has been out for a while and has lots of high ratings then I'm inclined to trust the developer. If Google does discover malicious software in their market they have tools to remotely remove such apps from everyones phone, kinda creepy but it's there for a good reason and it's all part of the decision you make about whether to trust the platform and the community that surrounds it.
2. Why are so many apps running in the background when I haven't opened them?
I am already using advanced task killer but when i look at the apps running there's a full list even tho I didn't open them.
That's the HTC/Sprint way. Get an app called Autostarts. You will be amazed at what runs automatically and autostarts will allow you to decide what runs and when.
3. Is there a file explorer on android?
Yes. One is not included in the stock rom but they are easy enough to find.
There are Terminal Emulators which equate to cmd in win, and there are file explorers too. Root Explorer is my personal favorite.
Any tips and tricks would be appreciated.
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elevenchars
nebenezer said:
elevenchars
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What do u mean?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
sammyluva said:
What do u mean?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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search "10chars"
Text in quotes doesn't count...
1. Just use common sense like was said.
2. If you use the main apps that came with the phone you are fine. It can be apps you download that run in the background that hurt the battery life.
3. Astro file manager is by far my favorite app.
sammyluva said:
1. I realized that apps have access to personal data and are able to access internet and dial. Should I be concerned? How can I be assured that an app developer is not after my bank info and such?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you prevent apps on WM from accessing this info? Answer..you didn't, the fact is that WM programs are even more scary because they don't even tell you what they are accessing.
sammyluva said:
2. Why are so many apps running in the background when I haven't opened them?
I am already using advanced task killer but when i look at the apps running there's a full list even tho I didn't open them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same answer as why are so many services running on your desktop when you have no programs running. Operating systems have all kinds of services running beside the app you are watching.
sammyluva said:
3. Is there a file explorer on android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh...did you check the program icons?
1.) As stated, doesn't hurt to check the number of DLs an App has or checking through some of the comments. Can find out if an App is giving a specific phone issues too ... thus saving you time from bothering to check it out. Trust it or don't check it out. Understandable why some people would see that and wonder ... but then again your info is already out there ...
2.) They just do. Even some **** that might not make sense, it just does for it's own reasons. Task killing can be good and bad. Or just good. Or just bad. Depending on who you ask so think on it before you decide to start murdering Apps or leaving em running.
3.) Astro File Manager is "what's up" but there are others. But that 1 is legit though.
Thanks for all those that replied but I didn't really get a satisfying answer to the first 2 questions. It seems like some of the people on here are just confused as well but are defending android in thinking that I am against the operating system. As I said in my original post I like the OS but i had some concerns that i wanted to learn more about.
Ramiss, you asked how I knew what info WM accessed? You are right they don't disclose accessing any data which means to me they are not. If they did and I found out then I could take them to court but when a company discloses that they are accessing your personal data and you agree to it then you have no say in how that info is used since you gave them permission. Also I never had an app running that I didn't open or give it permission to run in the background during my years with WM.
I have the evo since Friday and I've downloaded a couple of apps where I saw the disclosure of the kind of access these apps have and I was just thinking whats the point of having the apps if you have to worry abt it accessing important info. Then I got an email from Marketplace telling me the activities of my friends on facebook marketplace. The email went further to tell me some of the activities of my friend's friends. The point is its accessing personal data I didn't give it access to, which is scary.
I came on here to ask the people that know the OS better but it seems like there are some confused people on here. So I did a little research and found the article below which basically concurs that there is a problem with apps on android accessing personal data.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...apps_pose_privacy_threat_says_security_vendor
So my question is, are there preventive ways to protect against apps using personal data? Of course other than abstaining from downloading apps. Like an app that would block access to personal data or tell a person what each app accessed and did with it. Please if you can not give an educated answer then don't reply. Thanks.
sammyluva said:
Ramiss, you asked how I knew what info WM accessed? You are right they don't disclose accessing any data which means to me they are not. If they did and I found out then I could take them to court but when a company discloses that they are accessing your personal data and you agree to it then you have no say in how that info is used since you gave them permission. Also I never had an app running that I didn't open or give it permission to run in the background during my years with WM.
So my question is, are there preventive ways to protect against apps using personal data? Of course other than abstaining from downloading apps. Like an app that would block access to personal data or tell a person what each app accessed and did with it. Please if you can not give an educated answer then don't reply. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually my point was that Windows Mobile programs could easily access personal information, you just weren't aware of it. For example, try downloading a windows mobile program that handles your contacts (Pocket Informant comes to mind). Does the OS give you a warning that this new program will access your contacts? Not as far as I can remember! Whereas Android apps must disclose what they access, that is a rule from Google.
The way to protect an app from not accessing something is to not use it. This is the reason the access list is disclosed - so you have a choice not to continue.
As others have said you need to make your own decision based on the popularity of the app, the comments made and perhaps a quick Google search. Trust me, if an app is malicious there is a good chance you would know about it by reading the comments.
Edit: The end of that article you posted gives you the answer:
Android's security model requires that applications declare the permissions they will be using prior to installation by the user. An informed user can use these declarations to decide if they want to install an application or not, according to SMobile. However, the fact remains that there is no means available for a user to know for sure that the application they just downloaded is doing only what the user sees it doing, it said.
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We have many report for big data usage on wp7 also when i usage data connection my hd2 is too hot.. that make me sceptical..
for that reason i make this thread if is not the right place please mod move it to the right place
Microsoft say: the problem coming from 3rd party apps
Some other say the problem coming from many differnet update that use the wp7 system e.g.email update, contacts update/facebook and more
Some other report says the HTC hub is one of the reason... use so much data..
That you can do is: set all account manual about the sync
Just go to settings / account and tap every account and set it manual
Fot htc hub go to in to hub and settings , do the same..
HERE you can found what Microsoft say!
HERE the report of HTC hub!!!
PS. is simply blog but have some good news.. so take a look around for other news..
Edit
Thanks for report i fix a little bit the body of the message..
I don't know if this is true or not. I am not experiencing heave data absorption without my knowledge. I can check my data consumption on the Voda website and I have a 1Gb allowance each month. I've been using WP7 as soon it went semi-public and I'm still having about 780Mb out of 1Gb left. (last update was yesterday) It is not like I am not using the internet, but I do check on mobile websites as it just renders faster and it doesn't need the zoom too often. Multitouch zoom on HD2 is a bit of a problemchild.
I do had my concerns about the social networking integration as I thought it would pull everybody's picture gallery to my phone and would upload every picture that I have to Skydrive, but that doesn't seems to be the thing.
Overall, though the WP7 was not meant for the HD2, it's going to be here for always on my phone. sob...
do you always
write your posts
like this?
and of course
you always need to
post in wrong sections?
There is not useful information in your post. "We have many report for big data usage on wp7" Who are we? What is many? Disable Data connection if you don't like traffic. Connect on Wi-Fi, log all connections from your computer and take a look where the traffic goes and you'll know what app you need to delete.
Funnily enough I just happened to check my bill after reading this and I'm up to 750mb since the start of the month. Normally I'd average about 200mb at most.
I had the HTC hub installed which has been promptly removed so I'm gonna keep an eye on it now and see if that was the cause of the massive data jump.
Pretty old news and really annoying way of writing.
why
on
earth
do
you
write
like
this????
I did notice a single big jump in data downloading on initial setup, this was because of facebook i think, not the facebook app, didnt happen until i had set that up so my feeling is its downloading pictures and other info, if you have many many friends on FB this would be exponential. anyhow, i didnt notice this until i got a out of starage space message, because my SD card hadnt worked first time round. So, if that is indeed the case and not just a huge coincidance connect up your phone to your PC and install/setup facebook, then see what happens
Tazzimus said:
Funnily enough I just happened to check my bill after reading this and I'm up to 750mb since the start of the month. Normally I'd average about 200mb at most.
I had the HTC hub installed which has been promptly removed so I'm gonna keep an eye on it now and see if that was the cause of the massive data jump.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so its real problem... thanks for your report... the reason of this thread is to learn if is real problem and where coming from..
i'm scary about data i have only 120mb data plan
vartp said:
"We have many report for big data usage on wp7" Who are we? What is many? Disable Data connection if you don't like traffic. Connect on Wi-Fi, log all connections from your computer and take a look where the traffic goes and you'll know what app you need to delete.
Click to expand...
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You are right! we = (I some other chefs + some beta tester of our roms and some blogers)
Nice way...!!! Do you know any program that can count the traffic? Do you have count any program?
Another thing to add to the 'Reasons to avoid WM7 like the plague and stay on Android' list.
Share Wi-Fi from your computer/laptop, connect mobile through it, install any traffic counter or firewall on your PC (or use proxy that provides logs/reports), look where your traffic is going. I don't care about traffic on my mobile at the moment, so I am not going to check it myself, but that's pretty easy task.
Checked Mine
Although this may be in the wrong section, and been covered several times. I just now decided to check my usage.
T-Mobile USA
Data: 690.2357 / Unlimited Megabytes
Been using WP7 since it was released, HTC HUB was installed at first, uninstalled it last week.
As far as writing like this.
Personal Preference.
You don't like it, Don't read it.
cdguider said:
Data: 690.2357 / Unlimited Megabytes
You don't like it, Don't read it.
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What is your average usage with wm6.5 or android?
+1 for your comment
maybe is in wrong section i did search before post it i did not found something + as you know when you typing the heading you can see if any other thread have the same heading
also i post it here because i want to find the problem and fix or tweak the problem together.. we do not have the kitchen but we have the registry editor maybe that can help us..
I got a text from tmobile today stating I was being capped on my data speed for the remainder of the billing cycle this month because of too much data usage ....
cabrone said:
I got a text from tmobile today stating I was being capped on my data speed for the remainder of the billing cycle this month because of too much data usage ....
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too bad my friend...
but finally this thread help from problems little late but better late than never
Simple solution. Get unlimited internet without fair usage nonsense As I usually go over 1 GB with my HD2 regardless of the OS that's what I did. You pay a little more but don't have to worry that a facebook photo may cost you 1 Euro
Gents,
Keep the posts on topic and watch the flaming please, thanks.
Moved to Q&A
cdguider said:
Although this may be in the wrong section, and been covered several times. I just now decided to check my usage.
T-Mobile USA
Data: 690.2357 / Unlimited Megabytes
Been using WP7 since it was released, HTC HUB was installed at first, uninstalled it last week.
As far as writing like this.
Personal Preference.
You don't like it, Don't read it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, i have the same issue. This is a problem.
TheOnly1 said:
Simple solution. Get unlimited internet without fair usage nonsense As I usually go over 1 GB with my HD2 regardless of the OS that's what I did. You pay a little more but don't have to worry that a facebook photo may cost you 1 Euro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
perhaps you can pay for their airplane ticket, provide food and lodging at your place so that they can experience this solution of yours.
haksam said:
perhaps you can pay for their airplane ticket, provide food and lodging at your place so that they can experience this solution of yours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I noticed Mine was hogging data at 5 in the morning well I was still sleeping. I did a comparison and in 2 days My win 7 HD2 used 125 Mb data and my HD2 with win 6.5 used 60 Mb. I used them pretty much equally.
Old news to me.
There is a virus inside elternal legacy HD (especially) and asphalt 6!
DO NOT DOWNLOAD THESE FROM ***!!!
It will take you to a fake gameloft survey where you say your country and favourite os, and when you touch "send", it says 'thank you for your donation' and sends infinite messages, charging your phone bill. The only way to stop this is battery remove or task killer.
I wasn't one of the victims!
That's why you should only download apps with descriptions and developer names
Thus, thou shall not use warez.
+1 yup.............
AVG android id's virus in GingerBreak?
Just by dumb luck, I had loaded avg pro on atrix. When blithlely following directions to load GingerBreak, received message from avg that program contains a virus and I conclude that either: 1. I had to unload avg and then load GingerBreak or 2. ask in this forum if this message is for real. Any and all responses will be welcome.
Thats the reason why i deleted *** from my Phone! There are so much Viruses, in which you will have to pay. If you want to be safe, buy them at the Android Market!
Regards
*** is down anyways now... so peace
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
The problem is that the android market is also not safe from viruses (although, probably more safe since it's monitored by Google and they can remotely remove malicious apps...).
I currently use lookout but wondering if there is a better antivirus.
How is AVG ? I'm using it on my desktop computer and like it but somehow got the feeling that it's too "heavy" for Android.
Morning mate,
You can use ESET. Has has now their own AV. EMS (Eset Mobile Security) You can grab it from the market, currently in a BETA stage but quite advance and very low footprint on any device. It's definitely on the same playing field as any awesome Antivirus/Malware prevention tool.
Regards,
fluxgfx
Muzikant said:
The problem is that the android market is also not safe from viruses (although, probably more safe since it's monitored by Google and they can remotely remove malicious apps...).
I currently use lookout but wondering if there is a better antivirus.
How is AVG ? I'm using it on my desktop computer and like it but somehow got the feeling that it's too "heavy" for Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used ESET for a while. I use it on my PC and my laptop, so when I saw it in the market, I got to installing it right away.
It slowed down my phone horribly and no matter what I did, I wasn't able to uninstall it (My phone was not rooted at the time). After trying everything I found on the web, I eventually got to backing up everything I had and factory reseting...
They've probably fixed that bug by now, but it was still pretty annoying...
Can anyone recommend any other Android anti-virus software? It has to be "good", obviously, but it also has to quietly run in the background, eat as little battery and memory as possible.
P.S. My device is a Galaxy ACE (currently rooted and with leaked Android 2.3.4 firmware)
On the PC I used and removed Eset. It was a real pain spending huge amounts of time removing junk deeply imbedded and left behind in the Registry. As such, I'd be hesitant to try Eset again especially on an Android device. Furthermore, I read where Eset used their own secret vpn to bypass any local firewall to get updates, without telling the user.
I am skeptical of reviews by AV publishers like McAfee, Kaspersky, etc. warning of "the coming horrible tsunami of Android malware."
If anyone comes across a detailed Android AV review, please post the link.
no warez discussion allowed.
I see, no one was actually advertising/ requesting or posting warez, so there will be no consequences.
but since this is not an issue for anybody, not using warez in the first place, this thread is closed. if you got yourself a virus this way, there are enough tips to get rid of it, but it is your own fault.
also, i edited all the posts containing the name of the warez distributer.
closed.
Hi, I've just found my rooted HD10 is constantly downloading at a rate up to 20Mbit/s. It shifted 20GB overnight. . Unfortunately I have no idea what's doing it. Are there any apps that work with Fire OS which will display the network usage of apps? Ones I've found so far require an android permissions setting that the Fire doesn't have... Thanks
jedbartlet said:
Hi, I've just found my rooted HD10 is constantly downloading at a rate up to 20Mbit/s. It shifted 20GB overnight. . Unfortunately I have no idea what's doing it. Are there any apps that work with Fire OS which will display the network usage of apps? Ones I've found so far require an android permissions setting that the Fire doesn't have... Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the "On-Deck" feature in the stock Amazon Video/Music apps disabled? I know that will automatically download large files.
I think Simple System Monitor might show network use per app. It's rather helpful in general.
I also noticed the other day on the newest firmware that there is a new, annoying background process/app that is running constantly. I disabled it and haven't had any functionality issues. I don't know if that's the culprit, but maybe?
Hope this helps or at least is a starting point!
-Richard
Thanks Richard. Although the app doesn't show the individual network usage, I think because it needs to be granted 'Usage Data Access' which doesn't appear to be an option on the HD10, it did show that the Amazon 'Download Manager' was chewing the most CPU time. Forced stopped that and the downloads ceased.
Anyone any idea what Download Manager usually downloads? And is it safe to disable it if it goes rogue again?
*edit: disabled it, what's the worst that can happen
Cheers
Also, I just stumbled upon this snazzy app, which seems like it would also be a helpful tool with regard to the kind of app bandwidth/data usage information you're trying to investigate. Hope it helps!
---------- Post added at 05:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:49 AM ----------
jedbartlet said:
Thanks Richard. Although the app doesn't show the individual network usage, I think because it needs to be granted 'Usage Data Access' which doesn't appear to be an option on the HD10, it did show that the Amazon 'Download Manager' was chewing the most CPU time. Forced stopped that and the downloads ceased.
Anyone any idea what Download Manager usually downloads? And is it safe to disable it if it goes rogue again?
*edit: disabled it, what's the worst that can happen
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You made me curious ?️ I went into my own "Download Manager" apk and peeked inside its inner workings... didn't find anything very exciting. Here are some photos of the code/components and permissions used for the app. On my HD 10, it has hardly been touched and hasn't used much data at all, and it's not one of the system apps I disabled, so I'm not really sure... ? But I think you'll be alright with it disabled...
The only other thing I might suggest, in your Settings, under Security & Privacy, maybe make sure you don't have "Collect App Usage Data" selected? I think Download Manager might have something to do with your download history and creepy Amazon sales metrics.
Well disabling had a bit of an unwanted side effect - Google Play won't open!
I'll keep looking to see what's requesting the Download Manager to download stuff, starting with disabling DeviceSoftwareOTA.