Launcher 8

[sandiegodave]

Is this a safe app to use? It is a windows phone 8 overlay that looks awesome but It has numerous permissions that could jeopardize your contacts, information and many other things. Does anyone feel this way? Otherwise I'd love to install it.

 

[smalltowngirl13]

It has been used by many and our admin CK even did a video review...

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...cher-android-handsets-running-2-2-higher.html

 

[eebvending]

Have it.

Using it.

Really like it.

My guess the permissions that pertain to Contacts have to do with the live tile for Contacts. It displays their pic randomly in different squares within the tile and cycles through all of your contacts.

 

[sandiegodave]

I understand part of the contacts issue but to allow it to change or delete contacts and change dialed phone numbers concerns me. Seems a treasure trove of users' info is available to them to use in any way they desire. The info to which they have access could hold usernames and logins plus passwords, etc. The Droid Forums person who reviewed it never touched on the permission s aspect. I did view his review. In looking over my installed apps, none require anywhere near the amount of permissions that this one does. Just sayin'...

 

[objektor]

I understand part of the contacts issue but to allow it to change or delete contacts and change dialed phone numbers concerns me. Seems a treasure trove of users' info is available to them to use in any way they desire. The info to which they have access could hold usernames and logins plus passwords, etc. The Droid Forums person who reviewed it never touched on the permission s aspect. I did view his review. In looking over my installed apps, none require anywhere near the amount of permissions that this one does. Just sayin'...

Same here. New to android and saw this app. Looks great but the permissions just seems unreasonable to me. It even allows the app to make calls without my aproval!!?? Is this even possible? If so: this could be a very expensive app! Anyone who has experienced this?
To sandiegodave: did you install the app? Pleased?

 

[jstafford1]

How would you change a contact in the app if it doesnt have permission to do it??

Some of these permissions are so the app can function on its own the way it was intended. If it didnt it would just be an overlay of shortcuts.

Sent from Democles Base.

 

[sandiegodave]

Concerns regarding Launcher 8 permissions

Same here. New to android and saw this app. Looks great but the permissions just seems unreasonable to me. It even allows the app to make calls without my aproval!!?? Is this even possible? If so: this could be a very expensive app! Anyone who has experienced this?
To sandiegodave: did you install the app? Pleased?

No, Objektor, I didn't install it nor do I intend to. According to very recent articles, the biggest threat to Android's "Open Source" operating system is Asia. Thugs over there have targeted Android. Android is easy for them to hack and manipulate. Apps in the "App Store" are trusted until they screw up, then they get banished from the store. However, imagine how much damage they could inflict before they are kicked out. On the other hand, the Iphone and Windows Mobile operating systems are very secure compared to Android, hence the thieves focusing on Android. A SMS trojan virus has done an incredible amount of damage, costing users HUGE expenses: Android Under Attack: Malware Levels for Google's OS Rise Threefold in Q2 2012 . I won't be fooled by some slick looking app that requires unreasonable permissions. What could possible be the purpose of the app placing phone calls from your phone??? Imagine the costs to you if that "permission" evolves into something akin to the SMS virus attack? Give it a little time and I think we'll have the answer to that question. However, all that nonsense will not dissuade me from continuing to use Android phones nor will it cause me to buy an Iphone or Windows phone. I switched to Android after I got fed up with the Windows Mobile OS when 6.5 was released. What a piece of underachievement that "upgrade" was! Prior to that I was a devout Windows Mobile user going all the way back to my first HP Ipaq pocket PC, before smartphones were invented. By the way, if my link to the SMS article gets scrubbed from my reply, go to a browser and type in: Android Under Attack and you'll find it. Please read that article and other related articles but most importantly, be careful what apps you install!

 

[objektor]

How would you change a contact in the app if it doesnt have permission to do it??

Some of these permissions are so the app can function on its own the way it was intended. If it didnt it would just be an overlay of shortcuts.

Sent from Democles Base.

An overlay of shortcuts. That's what I thought it was. It isn't running wp8 is it? It's using the apps on my phone as they are with the same layout, I presume. So it doesn't have to change a contact f.e. and hence no permission to do so either. Maybe I'm just not getting it, so please explain.

 

[objektor]

No, Objektor, I didn't install it nor do I intend to. According to very recent articles, the biggest threat to Android's "Open Source" operating system is Asia. Thugs over there have targeted Android. Android is easy for them to hack and manipulate. Apps in the "App Store" are trusted until they screw up, then they get banished from the store. However, imagine how much damage they could inflict before they are kicked out. On the other hand, the Iphone and Windows Mobile operating systems are very secure compared to Android, hence the thieves focusing on Android. A SMS trojan virus has done an incredible amount of damage, costing users HUGE expenses: Android Under Attack: Malware Levels for Google's OS Rise Threefold in Q2 2012 . I won't be fooled by some slick looking app that requires unreasonable permissions. What could possible be the purpose of the app placing phone calls from your phone??? Imagine the costs to you if that "permission" evolves into something akin to the SMS virus attack? Give it a little time and I think we'll have the answer to that question. However, all that nonsense will not dissuade me from continuing to use Android phones nor will it cause me to buy an Iphone or Windows phone. I switched to Android after I got fed up with the Windows Mobile OS when 6.5 was released. What a piece of underachievement that "upgrade" was! Prior to that I was a devout Windows Mobile user going all the way back to my first HP Ipaq pocket PC, before smartphones were invented. By the way, if my link to the SMS article gets scrubbed from my reply, go to a browser and type in: Android Under Attack and you'll find it. Please read that article and other related articles but most importantly, be careful what apps you install!

Thanks for your informative reply. It's amazing to me that so many people have installed the app ( according to the reviews) and happy with it and almost no complaints or even questions about the permissions. But I have to admit: no stories about phones being hijacked by the app either resulting in enormous phonebills. Just a matter of time maybe? Anyway, I will try to do some more 'research' before even considering to install the app, no matter how nice it looks.
I'm still on iOS (ipad1, no problems) but need a new phone since my nokia n71 died after 6 years. Not totally against iPhone but restrictions, policy and price do not attract me. WP8 looks pretty nice, more acustomable, logical with the hubs, secure ( for what it's worth), expendable memory, removable battery and a few more phones to choose from. I know Nokia is almost down and out but I have to admit that I was pleased with my old one lasting for 6 years!
So WP8 or not WP8 (thus android), that's the question. Any more advice/ views are welcome.

 

[jstafford1]

An overlay of shortcuts. That's what I thought it was. It isn't running wp8 is it? It's using the apps on my phone as they are with the same layout, I presume. So it doesn't have to change a contact f.e. and hence no permission to do so either. Maybe I'm just not getting it, so please explain.

Its not just an overlay. Its an app that you can make calls from, you can have direct dial tiles, so it would need to access you contacts for that and be able to access the phone. Just like it has live tiles for email, so it needs access to your email. Just because an app needs access to certain functions of the phone doesn't make it malicious. You have to look at what is is doing and what its intended for. You can always email the dev to inquire about permissions.

This subject has bee broached before. Someone wonders why an app needs "x" permissions, but when you look at what its doing it in fact does need those permissions to do what the app is supposed to do.
Home replacements need a lot of permissions because they "replace" your current home app, which has many permissions. They are not overlays, but fully functioning apps on their own.

Sent from Democles Base.

 

[objektor]

Its not just an overlay. Its an app that you can make calls from, you can have direct dial tiles, so it would need to access you contacts for that and be able to access the phone. Just like it has live tiles for email, so it needs access to your email. Just because an app needs access to certain functions of the phone doesn't make it malicious. You have to look at what is is doing and what its intended for. You can always email the dev to inquire about permissions.

This subject has bee broached before. Someone wonders why an app needs "x" permissions, but when you look at what its doing it in fact does need those permissions to do what the app is supposed to do.
Home replacements need a lot of permissions because they "replace" your current home app, which has many permissions. They are not overlays, but fully functioning apps on their own.

Sent from Democles Base.

Thanks for the explanation so far. Ok, so it is not just an overlay. Does this mean aswell that the app contains stuff like 'peoples hub', 'music hub' and the like?
And do apps like calender f.e. looks like the wp8 calender or like the original android calender? Than it's almost a WP8 o.s.?
I do get your point that a home replacement app needs the permissions that the original home app has. What I don't understand is why it wants permission to make calls without my aproval. I don't think the original home app has that permission. I certainly hope so anyway. I checked with some other home replacement apps and some of them want that permission and some of them don't. It might have to do with some functions they can or cannot perform than? I don't know. It just made me suspicious.

 

[jstafford1]

Thanks for the explanation so far. Ok, so it is not just an overlay. Does this mean aswell that the app contains stuff like 'peoples hub', 'music hub' and the like?
And do apps like calender f.e. looks like the wp8 calender or like the original android calender? Than it's almost a WP8 o.s.?
I do get your point that a home replacement app needs the permissions that the original home app has. What I don't understand is why it wants permission to make calls without my aproval. I don't think the original home app has that permission. I certainly hope so anyway. I checked with some other home replacement apps and some of them want that permission and some of them don't. It might have to do with some functions they can or cannot perform than? I don't know. It just made me suspicious.

It doesn't have the "hubs" I don't think....I ran it for a little bit, but I jump around alot. Looking at the permissions for my stock homescreen app, it can make calls directly to phone numbers. Its under things that can cost you money or something to that effect. If that's the same permission as this launcher, then I am guessing its because it is because of the live phone tile. Not 100%, but its saying you press the tile, it dials without asking if that's ok. Its not like the app is making calls to china at 3am to see what the weathers like. It appears to just be there so it doesn't have to ask you if its ok for you to make a call using the app.
If you're still concerned just move on to another launcher. Some of this is confusing in how the permissions ar written I do know that.

Sent from Democles Base.

 

[djflexmaster79]

hey guys got a question on this, I got it working pretty much the way I want except one thing, when I go to update the contact Tiles, it fails every time.

Any help is appreciated..

DJ

I am using this on my Droid 3 ...

EDIT: Sorry guys I figured it...

 

[objektor]

It doesn't have the "hubs" I don't think....I ran it for a little bit, but I jump around alot. Looking at the permissions for my stock homescreen app, it can make calls directly to phone numbers. Its under things that can cost you money or something to that effect. If that's the same permission as this launcher, then I am guessing its because it is because of the live phone tile. Not 100%, but its saying you press the tile, it dials without asking if that's ok. Its not like the app is making calls to china at 3am to see what the weathers like. It appears to just be there so it doesn't have to ask you if its ok for you to make a call using the app.
If you're still concerned just move on to another launcher. Some of this is confusing in how the permissions ar written I do know that.

Sent from Democles Base.

Thanks for taking the time to share your view. Especially the way things/permissions are written is confusing to me. Can understand it in multiple ways. Your explanation about the dialing without asking is plausible. I just didn't get it that way.
I'm new to android. Bored with the restrictions in iOS so willing to try something different and more customisable. Esp. tile-size and pinning files, not only apps, to homescreen. I like the looks of the Launcher8 app but found some other apps that can do the same trick in a way. I'm just not used to all the possibilities!!

 

[tripwirecartel]

help with live contacts

hey guys got a question on this, I got it working pretty much the way I want except one thing, when I go to update the contact Tiles, it fails every time.

Any help is appreciated..

DJ

I am using this on my Droid 3 ...

EDIT: Sorry guys I figured it...

I am having issues with the live contacts too. it only shows one contact that i added manually. the rest of my contacts are from facebook but don't show up in the animations. is there a way to manage permissions so i can give it access to my contacts? thanks, any help is appreciated!

EDIT: removing the tile and putting it back didn't work for me. neither does updating the contacts