This morning I noticed that an app was silently installed on my device. Android System Safetycore.
So what is this app for? Supposedly it is designed to blur any images that are sent to or from you the user.
Android Authority Article Snippet
Sensitive Content Warnings is another new Google Messages feature that Google is announcing today. It’s a feature that gives you more control over seeing and sending images that may contain nudity. Sensitive Content Warning blurs images that may contain nudity before viewing them, and it then prompts you with a “speed bump” that contains “help-finding resources and options, including to view the content.” When it’s enabled and you try to send or forward an image that may contain nudity, Google Messages will also show a “speed bump” that reminds you of the risks of sending nude imagery. - Android Authority
The feature seems to be geared towards google messages.
However why this needed to be a seperate app isn’t really known. Why not just a feature within the google messages app? Google gives no explanation.
Another Android Authority Snippet
Warnings check runs entirely on-device, it didn’t mention that it will actually be powered by an entirely separate app and not Google Messages itself. - Android Authority
Google claims it runs entirely on your phone. Whether that’s true? ¯_(ツ)_/¯
According to my device, the app can have internet access restricted to it (via phone settings) implying that the app does have internet access. Any apps that dont have internet access wouldn’t be in my settings list for restricting network access.
Here’s the developer page. Not much in terms of detail going on there.
Here is the app on Play store with its further lacking detail and currently plunging reviews. Interestingly it seems the app has many good odd sounding reviews. Furthermore, all the new reviews are very negative. The app was 3.8 this morning. Plunging.
The whole concept of the feature isn’t a bad one. However, I certainly dont wish for it to be automatically installed on my device as a seperate app. A feature that is supposedly for a messaging platform that I don’t even have activated on my device.
I removed it myself as it can be uninstalled. It doesn’t show up on play store by search, however you can look up the app link online and get a direct link to it. Which I put here.
Spyware? A helpful feature? I don’t want it on my phone anyways.
(Yes this is a repost, I hope it isn’t considered spam. Yes I did also delete the original one :/ . Goodnight 🥱!)
And then I praise microg / LineageOS
I am using both and this somehow made it to my phone, wtaf
If you have play services installed. You will get it.
I don’t have it on a phone a with play services.
I’m also in the EU in case that matters
Well then, that’s pretty impressive. I don’t know the answer to that
Seems other commentators outside USA are saying similar things.
If true, I wouldn’t trust this app at all, because it just be breaking GDPR somehow
I have it and I am in the UK, we have our own GDPR after the whole Brexit thing. But someone would need to prove its breaking GDPR. To install it on the device isn’t a violation of GDPR.
I’m in EU and I have it. was able to uninstall though.
Do you have Google’s Messages app installed? If it actually does what they claim on the tin, maybe it was only installed on phones with the Messages app installed?
I don’t, so maybe that’s the reason?
Infrastructure to give Google system wide control over what content you can and cannot view.
Right, because if that’s what they wanted to do this is how they’d go about doing it rather than, let’s say, using any one of the dozen or so Google-controlled device administrator apps already on your phone.
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I never got it on mine but maybe thats because I have a fucken Samsung and I’ve already adb’d away all the shit I dont want
Thanks for pointing this out, I had no idea. Removed it and left a review complaining.
Wow, thanks for this. I do have it sneakily installed by Google to my phone, without my knowledge or consent. If that ain’t malware behavior, idk what that is.
It says no permissions required and has used no data on mine.
I froze it anyway because I didn’t ask for it, but I don’t think it’s malicious.
Yup, found on my phone yesterday.
It also claimed that i was part of the beta program, which is probably how they back-doored it in, so make sure you leave the beta program to keep it from coming back.
Doesn’t appear to be on my phone or in the Google play store
Ot did on my phone (Ger Pixel 7 Pro)
Keeping sealed iodine patches and band aids inside my leather wristbands.
Staying on the edge of the pit to catch anyone who falls or takes a hit.
🧷 safetycore 🧷
/laughs in de-googled LineageOS.
Laughs in GrapheneOS and/or phone running Linux.
Laughs in CalyxOS. Muhahha.
There’s dozens of us.
.-… .- …- .–. … …
Laughs in G code S1 g54 x0y0 g0 g90. F50 M3; z-.5 a45 z0 a0 z-.5 a45 z0 a0 z-.5 a45 z0 a0 z-.5 a45 z0 a0
What’s that
Basically oscillating the tool up and down while rotating the workpiece back and forth, while spinning the tool very, very slowly.
Well it was not on my e/OS phone either, so I was a bit smug. My wife’s Android phone did have it. Did.
To be fair, I have a Turkish phone that I will need to “fix” if it lets me.
Not sure why everybody is upset that it’s a separate app. Google has been doing this with Android for almost a decade now in order to bring new functionality without needing to update the entire operating system.
I was gonna say, I feel like I’ve been seeing a new Android system app on a monthly basis when checking what needs updating in Google Play.
Literally my phone just now
They have been moving things to apps so they can substitute piecemeal the open source OS with their close sources: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/
That article is 12 years old. It has only gotten worse.
I suppose but the other side is OEMs abandoning still functional hardware
Oh thank you! Had it on my phone without any notifications or anything else to tell me that!
Am an EU resident, so that’s very worrisome to say the least.
Thank you! I wasn’t aware of it! Un-installed now 😁
Seems weird to have a separate app read sent and received messages? Is it poking holes in the Messages app sandbox?
Lots of apps are able to interact with your text messages. Many apps are able to intercept one time passcode messages when registering accounts for instance.
It’s also not weird to separate this if they intend for it to be able to be used in other areas as well.
Just because it may be used only by Messages right now, doesn’t mean that it’s intended to only be used there.
As far as I know, the apps are not intercepting the text messages for passcodes. The messages have a specific format and a hash to indicate which app they are targeting. It is up to the messages app to read the message and to forward the code. This design should not need to give the apps any access to your messages.
