Transformers: Earth Wars May Be A Scam

[Sir Prime A Lot]

I tried installing the Android mobile game today and when looking through the permissions it requested, I noticed it needs access to not only my phone number but also the number of everyone I call. It appears to be collecting some sort of phone number database to sell to third parties. Anyone been getting shady calls since installing this game?

Now not only do I need to avoid installing this, I need to avoid receiving calls from anyone whom may have installed it.

[predahank]

your pictures too!
whoa thats a lot of info they want.
Surprised they don't request your mom's maiden name and sin#

[Larkhainan]

Not that it is or isn't a scam, but what is it coded in? I was reading recently a very similar post about another major app release where they had to put all those permissions in due to the framework requesting them regardless of their intent.

[Flanker]

If you really want to try the app without risk, you could use an Android simulator like Genymotion (for PC/Mac/Linus).

[timcrook]

Originally Posted by Sir Prime A Lot

I tried installing the Android mobile game today and when looking through the permissions it requested, I noticed it needs access to not only my phone number but also the number of everyone I call. It appears to be collecting some sort of phone number database to sell to third parties. Anyone been getting shady calls since installing this game?

Now not only do I need to avoid installing this, I need to avoid receiving calls from anyone whom may have installed it.

If you are referring to "device ID and call info", that is so the game can pause when phone call comes in. The "photos/media/files" permission is for game data files on sd card I believe. None of those Android access permissions is for your address book info.

[xueyue2]

I think these access requests make sense, only with maximum access your cell phone can transformer into a robot.

[theoneyouknowleast]

Alot of Apps these days request all permissions, due to google frameworks.

If you have Android 6.0 Marshmallow you can revoke any permissions for the app you want.

My Facebook app is denied everything for example.

As a personal practice anytime I install an app, I check and revoke permissions.

[RNSrobot]

Feel free to uninstall pretty much every app on your phone, then. Take a quick look at most of the permissions on virtually every app.

And do what theone says.

[Sir Prime A Lot]

Originally Posted by Larkhainan

Not that it is or isn't a scam, but what is it coded in? I was reading recently a very similar post about another major app release where they had to put all those permissions in due to the framework requesting them regardless of their intent.

They're coded in Java, more specifically an Android specific subset of Java which inherits most core Java classes. I would doubt the framework would require the permissions because all permission requests are listed in the Android Manifest file outside of any framework files and all it takes is to just delete the one line requesting that specific access in order to remove it. It's not embedded deep into the code or anything. I develop Android applications, it's fairly well set up like that.

Originally Posted by timcrook

If you are referring to "device ID and call info", that is so the game can pause when phone call comes in. The "photos/media/files" permission is for game data files on sd card I believe. None of those Android access permissions is for your address book info.

I'm referring to how it explicitly asks for the device's phone number and the phone number of the call it is connected to. Those aren't required to pause the game when a call is received. It's poor programming to not limit the access restriction to only what the program needs.

[Pgianos]

Nothing is for free... You think they make the game for the fans only? There is always a bottom line.