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Advertising Cellphones Handhelds Privacy

Micromax Remotely Installing Unwanted Apps and Showing Ads 50

Posted by timothy from the what-will-you-tolerate dept.
jones_supa (887896) writes "Reports are coming in that users of certain devices by Indian phone manufacturer Micromax noticed apps being silently installed without their consent or permission. Uninstalling these apps won't help, as they will be automatically reinstalled. Alternatively, instead of downloading apps, the phone might litter the UI with stack of notifications which are advertisements for online stores and other apps. It turns out that the "System Update" application is responsible for all of this. When starting to tear down the application (which is actually called FWUpgrade.apk on the filesystem), the first thing you notice is that it's a third-party application. A Chinese company named Adups developed it as a replacement for the stock Google OTA service. The article shows the potential abilities of this app and how Micromax customers can work around the disruptive behavior."
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Micromax Remotely Installing Unwanted Apps and Showing Ads More

Micromax Remotely Installing Unwanted Apps and Showing Ads

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  • It's not illegal, so they will do it (Score:3)

    by linebackn ( 131821 ) on Saturday January 17, 2015 @10:07AM (#48838563)

    Isn't this already the business model for most "apps" these days? The only thing surprising here is they aren't sugar coating it with pleasant sounding euphemisms.

    Yea, some of us used computers with only 4K of RAM and remember a day when this kind of shit would have been unthinkable even if it were possible.

    But it isn't expressly illegal, so expect more of this. Don't buy something that does this? Sure, enjoy that option while it lasts.

    • Re:It's not illegal, so they will do it (Score:4, Informative)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <slashdot@worf.ERDOSnet minus math_god> on Sunday January 18, 2015 @04:53AM (#48843579)

      Isn't this already the business model for most "apps" these days?

      Only on Android.

      If you have an app, on iOS, you'll make more money selling it ad-free outright in the App Store. But on Android, you won't make much if you sell it outright - you're far better off putting ads in the app.

      Ad-based apps on Android generate far more money than ad-based apps on iOS. LIkewise, Ad-free paid apps on iOS generate far more money than paid apps on Android. (Usually because the Play Store isn't available everywhere, nor is Google Checkout/Wallet, so if you have a paid app, that pretty much eliminates your app from showing up in half the places Google Play is available).

      So no, raping customer information is NOT a standard business model. Especially since on iOS you can restrict access to your contacts, location/photos (which are a location proxy). Hell, you can't even track a user across apps easily anymore.

  • ... the only thing worse would be apps you don't want preinstalled, and no ability to uninstall them at all!

  • So (Score:2)

    by Greyfox ( 87712 )
    Has anyone ported cyanogenmod to the phone yet? That's my default answer to the heaping helping of unwanted crap that always seem to get bundled with my phones.
  • My phone is constantly downloading shit I don't want. Luckily for me I can freeze it all.

  • Sounds like Google (Score:3, Insightful)

    by spacefight ( 577141 ) on Saturday January 17, 2015 @11:42AM (#48839039)
    ...when they introduced Google Play Music etc. via regular Updates through the Play Store.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by wiredlogic ( 135348 )

      Had to terminate that POS because it's ALWAYS RUNNING and chewing up RAM on my 1GiB phone. WTF Google?

  • Fuck them, just install stock android

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