How to monitor another app? - android

How to monitor another app behaviors in android like QualityTime in Google Play?
I try this by using UsageStatsManager with PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS permission. But it returns nothing from
queryAndAggregateUsageStats(long beginTime, long endTime)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zerodesktop.appdetox.qualitytime
APP monitor

As it says on the docs:
"NOTE: This API requires the permission android.permission.PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS, which is a system-level permission and will not be granted to third-party apps. However, declaring the permission implies intention to use the API and the user of the device can grant permission through the Settings application."
You are a third party app. So you won't get this permission granted on install. And you won't get any results unless the user goes to the settings application, and explicitly turns on this for your app.

Related

How are permissions given to an app during development?

I am developing an app and the manifest has included permissions INTERNET and SEND_SMS. There was no asking of permissions when the apk was installed by Android Studio to either an emulator or a real phone.
When I ran the app, which sends an SMS, there was a permission exception. I had to go to Settings, Apps and under Permissions, there is an option to enable SMS. After I enabled it, the app could send SMS'es.
When the app made a network call using HttpUrlConnection, it completed successfully! Under Settings Apps, there is no option for network or Internet or the like.
Why is it that making a network communication does not require any permission by the user?
Under Settings, Apps, why is there only one permission, SMS, listed for my app?
It's the developer responsibility to request the permission at the runtime.
Before accessing any danger permission. (Runtime Permission are supported from Android M(6.0))
Not all the permission need to be requested from the user. Only Danger Permission needs an approval from the user. Normal and Danger Permsission
Please follow this guide Runtime Permission
The permissions model was changed in Android 6.0. If the app targets API 23 or above than you need to request the user for the permissions in runtime. If the app targets below API 23 than the app gets the permissions during intall.
There are some permissions like "INTERNET" that will always be during intall.
You're running your app in Android SDK>=23.
Internet permission is under Normal permission so it does not show any permission prompt but Camera permission is under Dangerous Permission so it shows permission prompt.
If an app declares that it needs a normal permission, the system automatically grants that respective permission to the app.
Refer:
Reference -
Android Permissions
StackOverflow
Permission Requests

How can I identify the foreground 'app' in OS?

I am an Android developer and I want to write an if statement in my application. In this statement I want to check which app is run which time in my mobile like Facebook, messenger,You Tube,chrome etc when its open and when its close. How can I do this programmatically?
I'm not sure what you mean with the if statement part but I guess that what you are looking for is UsageStatsManager.
Take into account that this API requires the permission android.permission.PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS, which is a system-level permission and will not be granted to third-party apps. However, declaring the permission implies intention to use the API and the user of the device can grant permission through the Settings application.

Android SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission

I read that with Android 6.0, users need to manually allow apps to hold this permission by going to app advanced settings and enabling "Draw over other apps". I have a Nexus 5 with Android 6.0 but I don't seem to be prompted to enable this setting. When I install apps from the Play Store that require this permission, such as LastPass, it gets granted automatically.
Why is this so?
It is a new behaviour introduced in Marshmallow 6.0.1.
Every app that requests the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission and that is installed through the Play Store (version 6.0.5 or higher is required), will have granted the permission automatically.
If instead the app is sideloaded, the permission is not automatically granted. You can try to download and install the Evernote APK from apkmirror.com. As you can see you need to manually grant the permission in Settings -> Apps -> Draw over other apps.
[The above information is from this post.]
If you want the app to be sideloaded, you show manually show a prompt and direct the user to enable Draw over other apps permissions from the settings. Have a look at Requesting permissions
Every app that requests the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission and that is installed through the Play Store (version 6.0.5 or higher is required), will have granted the permission automatically.
Click here! This may help
There are mainly two types of permissions, they are
Normal Permissions
Dangerous Permissions
Normal permissions indicates that there's no great risk to the user's privacy or security in letting apps have those permissions. For example, users would reasonably want to know whether an app can read their contact information, so users have to grant this permission explicitly. By contrast, there's no great risk in allowing an app to vibrate the device, so that permission is designated as normal.
Dangerous permissions cover areas where the app wants data or resources that involve the user's private information, or could potentially affect the user's stored data or the operation of other apps. For example, the ability to read the user's contacts is a dangerous permission. If an app declares that it needs a dangerous permission, the user has to explicitly grant the permission to the app.
In this case, SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW comes under Normal permissions, that is if an app declares in its manifest that it needs a normal permission, the system automatically grants the app that permission at install time. The system does not prompt the user to grant normal permissions, and users cannot revoke these permissions.
You can see the list of normal permissions in this link and dangerous permissions here.

INTERNET permissions in Android M

Regarding Google's recent announcement about Android M and Permissions model.
Per the official Android documentation:
Limited Permissions Granted at Install Time: When the user installs or
updates the app, the system grants the app all permissions that the
app requests that fall under PROTECTION_NORMAL. For example, alarm
clock and internet permissions fall under PROTECTION_NORMAL, so they
are automatically granted at install time. The system may also grant
the app signature and system permissions, as described in System apps
and signature permissions. The user is not prompted to grant any
permissions at install time.
Particular note that it says:
...the system grants the app all permissions that the app requests.
So, if the app does not have INTERNET permission in its AndroidManifest.xml, it won't be granted access to INTERNET in that case?
Or will an app require to add INTERNET permission in its manifest in order to be able to make network calls?
As for the specific android.permission.INTERNET permission, it is still mandatory for apps that will access the Internet. If a developer were to publish an app without defining it in the Android manifest, an exception will be thrown the first time a connection attempt is made, and the app will possibly crash. This is no different than before.
All that has changed is that there won't be a prompt to the user, the app will still require the permission in the manifest.
Please check this video from Google IO - https://youtu.be/f17qe9vZ8RM?t=18m10s
There is no more Internet permission - the app will have by default access to the internet. Their idea is that if you don't have access to the device data then you can not do anything dangerous
Kind Regards

Regarding Android Permissions and Signature Protection level

I am new to Android and have a question regarding protection level "Signature" for permissions in AndroidManifest.xml.
The Android reference document states about "Signature" protection level:
A permission that the system grants only if the requesting application
is signed with the same certificate as the application that declared
the permission. If the certificates match, the system automatically
grants the permission without notifying the user or asking for the
user's explicit approval.
This implies that permissions which have protection level "Signature" are not available to use by normal application and can only be used Android Dev Team.
What I am wondering about is that how many applications in Android Market or on other sites can have these permissions? Like an application which is used for recording calls has android.permission.DEVICE_POWER in addition to other permissions. Is Android system really granting this permission to this application while installation?
When I tried to use the permission "READ_INPUT_STATE" (new in 2.2) I got the following error in LogCat:
06-28 09:28:34.943: WARN/PackageManager(60): Not granting permission android.permission.READ_INPUT_STATE to package com.example.wheredoyoulive (protectionLevel=2 flags=0x8444)
The same is true for permissions with Protection Level "SignatureOrSystem". There exists a caller application which has CALL_PRIVILEGED permission in addition to other permissions.
Please help me and clear my doubts.
Regards
Abhishek
I believe the purpose of the "Signature" permission level is for two applications by the same developer to be able to share data seamlessly without bothering the user. The READ_INPUT_STATE permission is not intended to be used in applications:
Allows an application to retrieve the current state of keys and switches. This is only for use by the system.
See http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html#READ_INPUT_STATE
Facebook home uses this,
once you install it you'll notice that it doesn't request ANY permissions, but explicitly requires that the facebook app be installed, this is so that the system can grant it the necessary permissions by proxy of the Facebook app.
Typically what happens is the Facebook app with advertise facilities for other apps to read your status and news feed, normally these apps would need to explicitly request permission to use them if they are signed under a different certificate or rather private key.

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