Google to Limit Which Apps Can See Other Installed Apps on Android Devices, Evoking Similar Privacy Changes Apple Made in iOS 9

Google will soon make it harder for third-party apps to see what other apps are installed on a user's Android device, a policy change that evokes similar privacy protections Apple introduced in iOS 9, way back in 2015.

play store google
According to XDA-Developers, upcoming amendments to Google's Developer Program Policy will limit which apps can access an Android user's full list of installed apps. As noted by Ars Technica, such lists can provide developers with various private habits like dating preferences, banking information, and political affiliations.

Specifically, any Android 11 app that requests the "QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES" permission can see the full list of apps stored on a user's device. Google says it now regards this data as "personal and sensitive user data." Therefore, starting May 5, Google's app review process will restrict access to the permission to apps that the company believes really need it.

Once the change goes live, apps can only make use of the permission if "core user facing functionality or purpose, requires broad visibility into installed apps on the user's device." Google's list of permitted apps mentions file managers, antivirus apps, and banking apps, including other apps that involve financial transactions.

If an app doesn't meet these requirements, the developer must remove the permission from the app's manifest to comply with the policy, or risk their app being removed from the Google Play Store. If a developer believes their app justifies access, they will have to complete a declaration form explaining why.

Apple made a similar change to its mobile operating system in 2015 to prevent advertisers from accessing app download data, which left third-party apps unable to see all of the apps downloaded on a user's device. Prior to iOS 9, apps like Twitter and Facebook had been misusing a communication API to access the user app download data for ad targeting purposes.

However, Google is only just getting round to introducing a similar privacy restriction on its Play Store, as the company tries to balance the rising demands of privacy-conscious consumers with the financial needs of developers and advertisers.

The search giant has reportedly been discussing internally how it can limit data collection and cross-app tracking on the Android platform in a way that is less stringent than Apple's upcoming App Tracking Transparency feature (ATT), in order to protect its $100 billion annual digital ad sales.

Starting in iOS 14.5, ATT will require apps to get opt-in permission from users to collect their random advertising identifier, which advertisers use to deliver personalized ads and track how effective their campaigns were.

Apple's App Store rules say that app developers cannot collect data from a device for the purpose of identifying it, and developers are responsible for all tracking code in their apps, including any third-party SDKs they're using. Google has already warned iPhone developers that rely on Google ads that Apple's ad-tracking update may mean they'll see a "significant impact" on their ad revenue.

Recently, Google has itself been on the wrong end of a digital privacy issue related to Apple's ‌App Store‌, after it was perceived to be dragging its feet in adding App Privacy labels to its iOS apps in accordance with Apple's rules.

Apple has been enforcing App Privacy labels since December, but many of Google's major apps did not start getting privacy labels until late in February. Google delayed adding the labels for so long that its apps went more than two months without being updated, leading some to claim that it "wanted to hide" the information that it collects.

Popular Stories

Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
Mayday Calendar

Apple Acquisition Hints at Upgraded Calendar App on iOS 19 or Beyond

Friday May 9, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now. Apple is legally required to report certain acquisitions to the European Commission, under the terms of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Mayday Labs founder Jeremy...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Submits Fortnite to U.S. App Store

Friday May 9, 2025 9:57 am PDT by
As promised, Epic Games today submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and if approved by Apple, it will mark the first time that the Fortnite app has been available in the United States since 2020. Fortnite will include options to purchase in-app currency from the web rather than through in-app purchase, which is what got the game banned to begin with. This time, though, Apple has been...
airpods pro purple

Apple's Camera Equipped AirPods and Apple Watch Could Launch as Soon as 2027

Thursday May 8, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple is working on versions of the AirPods and Apple Watch that incorporate a camera, and the devices could be ready to launch sometime around 2027, reports Bloomberg. Apple has developed a chip codenamed "Nevis" that will be used for its camera-equipped Apple Watch, while a chip codenamed "Glennie" will be incorporated into the AirPods. Apple is aiming to have the chips ready "by around...

Top Rated Comments

bluecoast Avatar
54 months ago
I know quite a few people who use Android because they think that they are 'alternative' by not following the iPhone herd.

More fool them, given how much data Android itself rips from your phone (to Google) and how much data the average app is allowed to harvest.

iOS isn't perfect, but it's leagues ahead of Android.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msp3 Avatar
54 months ago
Just like with Chrome, random scumbag developers aren't allowed to spy on users anymore, only Google is.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
diddl14 Avatar
54 months ago

Google's list of permitted apps mentions file managers, antivirus apps, and banking apps, including other apps that involve financial transactions.
Why does a banking or any "app that involves financial transactions" require access to the full list of installed apps???
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
54 months ago
Better late than never, though this is a change many people using older versions of android will likely never see for the near foreseeable future.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
54 months ago
It’s a step in the right direction.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cookie18 Avatar
54 months ago
This is great news. I hope Apple and other privacy focused companies continue to force the hand of companies who haven't protected users' privacy.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)