Android Jelly Bean help and tips req'd
 

G'day Folks,

I splashed the cash yesterday and bought a really cheap tablet PC!

I wanted this to be something that I could let the children play with; and if it ends up at the bottom of the toilet...

...well it won't be the end of the world.

It came with the google based Jelly Bean version of android on it.

Fair enough?


Well not really - talk about an invasion of privacy. Why the furk does "Angry Birds" need to search through my contacts and my location and my pants?


So step one was to make an empty gmail account so that I can download apps (you can't do that without a gmail account). If there's no information there then there's nothing to share...


...do any of you guys - have any experience blocking out these "finger in every pie" pesky apps?

I've been looking for tips on the internet and most of these solutions cost money and I'm not sure what's going to do what it says it will do...

Turn off location services and don't put contacts in.. If its asking to get In your pants... Well only you can make that call. My tablet I can turn off its desire to send push notifications and access to places. Never had an android based unit..

Android allows you to use alternate app sources, unlike Windows RT and iOS. You don't actually HAVE to install from the Google Store. Though creating an account called f**ksergeibrinuptherear666@gmail.com for Google store downloads is never a bad idea.

Well I'm almost free and single so perhaps I shouldn't be so anti-apps! (not so young anymore - is that going to be a problem?)

Thanks for the alternative advice about the apps sources but don't you get the same apps but just from a different source? Cabbages are cabbages but you can get them from various outlets...

{You have to bear with me - I'm a bit new to this}

My problem with the apps is that when you install them there's usually a whole long list of things that the app with be allowed to do. A lot of these things seem unreasonable - such as reading an address book / contacts; I mean why would a game need this information (if it isn't for marketing / advertising)? The strange thing is that you can't say I want this app to do these things but not those...

Well.. There is an app for _everything_ wink wink nudge nudge.

Weekend bump for mobile phone users!

Theres not all that much you can do about it except not download and use free, ad supported apps. These guys have to make their $$ somehow.

Also, to be fair to Android, a lot of these kinds of apps are installed and used by Windows and Mac users, and collect data in much the same way, without knowledge of its users (because everyone skips the EULA).

You're quite right; but I'm not convinced that buying the ad free versions will get me to where I want to be.

For me the difference is that for conventional computers I know how to limit the intrusion - there are add ons in firefox for example that stop a lot of the nonsense. Whereas I'm learning about Android I was kind of thinking that there might be versions of noscript, certificate patrol etc etc that might be worth looking at. That's the kind of information I'm trying to find.