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 🥱!)
Doesn’t even appear to exist for me in the UK. Yay?
It didn’t appear in my apps list and yet if I looked at the link to the play store it said it was installed… maybe double check you don’t have it by looking it up on the play store as well. Fishy to say the least
On my phone it was not installed (Android version 14). I even don’t find it in google play store. Is this because of the Android version or are there maybe regional differences?
I wonder if it’s a 15 thing. I updated to 15 last week, and sure enough, it was in my system apps. Easy enough to install, but what the fuck. I really need to get myself a pixel and install GOS.
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
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?
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.
/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.
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.
so it will be able to restrict the messages you send…and cut off those it does not like?
and if in a year, no anti trump opinions are allowed…we won’t even be able to complain to our friends?
Ham radio time
The technician test is pretty easy if you remember some stuff from physics and you study. https://hamstudy.org/ (you don’t need to make an account here to practice).
Second Hamstudy app. Also it isnt super trivial but I heard there was a six year old that passed so YMMV I found it a decent amount of work but nothing crazy. Join your local amateur radio club and they are usually awesome.
Say it with me, peeps. Tenant on your own land!
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.
In other news, Google wants to scan all your messenger images.
If you’re using Google messages, they’re definitely already doing so
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.
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.
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.
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 🧷
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
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