Many Android apps don't work properly with Contacts access fully denied. This limits the applicability of the Android's built-in Permissions model when dealing with Contacts protection. Hence the question: Are there ways for fine-grained Contacts restrictions on a per-app basis in Android? Like one of: - Present zero contacts to a given app while still allowing contacts access - Limit the list of Contacts fields available to a given app. (E.g. do not present the Notes or Address fields to a messaging app) For rooted phones there is the excellent XPrivacyLua, effectively providing API firewall functionality, where you e.g. present empty contacts list by default while allowing full contacts list to selected apps. Do we have something similar for non-rooted devices? Anything like a Contacts proxy or a virtual contacts provider?

According to the XPrivacy app, shortly after starting the Kiwi Browser app, the app executes the following: It's a shell command with /system/bin/cmd package compile -r shared com.kiwibrowser.browser It's very weird in my opinion because I **have never seen something like this behavior in any app before**. Executing a shell command is weird and unusual and this compiling command too. My guess: It seems like it has an embedded app in itself that it tries to compile and run? Maybe even malware? I could be wrong. What is it doing? Does anybody know? I'm not a programmer and don't know too much, that's why I need your thoughts.

This is really a long and tiresome journey. So I hope you become my companion! Device info changed with build.prop and XPrivacy/Lua. Magisk/Xposed in Systemless mode. I am on my way to achieve finest and most stringent privacy settings possible on android for Google services (Package - Pico). OS is Lineage OS 14.1 - 7.1.2 I am looking to fine tune the privacy settings for Google right now. I have been able to get amazing control over it with the help of XPrivacy/Lua modules of Xposed, but here is the catch. I am not able to get Google Play Store to connect, which is obvious. So I want to know what are the bare minimum permission requirements for it to work while keeping privacy in check? I have firewalled through AFWall+. Only have allowed Google Play Store and Play Services (Group of apps) to connect. Steps taken: Most rights are revoked with the help of Privacy Guard of OS. System apps are also paralyzed with restrictions. Most permissions are actually allowed in XPrivacy and Lua. Critical permissions (Network/Serial/Tracking/Analytics/Location) are denied. Frozen many Google Apps (and System) with Titanium Backup. AFWall+ has allowed only limited apps: GApps/Download Manager After all this, device is stable. No boot loop. No app crash. Only root apps have true access here. No other app, be it system or user apps, have any easy access to device info. I am fine tuning each permission as I go. But any input from you can help accelerate this process. Will you be my north star?

Let's say I registered at a website using Google Chrome on my phone, then later on I used a VPN and Firefox restricted through XprivacyLua to access the same website. Would it be able to know that it was me (my) device that accessed it previously? If so, how can I prevent it? Android 7 | Rooted

**_About my device:_** - **Android version:** 10 - **ROM:** Stock ROM(Android One) - **Bootloader status:** Unlocked and Rooted with Magisk 21.4 Stable **_Tweaks that I've done till today:_** - AdAway - AfWall+ - Warden - Ditched Chrome for Bromite, Brave(for syncing to pc) and Firefox Klar - [NUKED script](https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/module-tool-nuked_script-tm-b-attery-p-erformance-p-rivacy.4131715/) - And many more! I'm currently searching for an Android app that can block **ALL** the **trackers** as well as **hidden trackers** on Android including **Ads**. I, being a privacy enthusiast, have done a lot of online search, and currently using an open source app called **[Warden](https://www.xda-developers.com/warden-open-source-app-aurora-store-disable-trackers-loggers/)** . It's good but, user needs to spend ton of time tweaking apps for better protection against trackers. *(If you're from India and you use **Jio sim**, then you'll have **MyJio** installed, their tracking is literally **insane**!)*. I'd like know, is there any other Android App that can **learn** to **tweak and disable** trackers(privacy badger extension for browsers, for example) on it's own as the time passes, just like how Google Keyboard learns to personalize the dictionary. Editings and Suggestions are always welcome:)

I have found that with my Pixel 4XL (or maybe it's Android 10) **disabling Contacts syncing NO LONGER WORKS!** With my older Pixel 2 it did work, and I would manually trigger a Contacts or Calendar sync when I wanted to. I have checked and double-checked all the settings (see below)... but it still syncs without me triggering a sync. The settings I make are as follows ... Via Settings -> Accounts At the bottom of the main accounts page, there is a toggle named "**Automatically sync data**" with the text "Let apps sync data automatically". If this "Automatically sync data" toggle is **ON** and you then select your GMail account, and press the "**Account sync**" button, you are able to edit the(Google) apps you don't want to auto-sync (i.e. turn sync OFF). I do this (I switch all Google apps to off), and return to my GMail account page. I then see "**Sync OFF for all items**" in grey text under the "Account Sync" button (my upper case for OFF above). I then go back up to a higher level .. that is back to the main accounts page. The toggle "Automatically sync data" is still ON of course, and the grey text under it says "**Let apps sync data automatically**". I don't want this to happen, so I now set this "**Automatically sync data**" toggle to **OFF**. Here's the problem: after making this last change (i.e. "Automatically sync data" toggle to OFF), when I select my GMail account again, I now see "**Sync ON for all items**" in grey text under the "Account sync" button(my upper case for ON above)!! This is completely contradictory! How can it be that after first disabling auto-sync on all the Google apps and then switching off "Automatically sync data" Google signals "Sync on for all items" ?!? And here's the bigger problem: the above message is correct. Because if I leave the settings as above the Contacts does indeed continue periodically auto-syncing. (I know this because if I delete my contacts in the Google Contacts app in the cloud after a short period all the contacts on my phone disappear too!). I have tried removing my Google account and adding it again, but without success. It seems to me that this is either (a) a bug in the "Automatically sync data" implementation .. OR .. (b) a deliberate implementation of Google to fool people that their data is NOT being synced. I have also tried all sorts of variations and checked Google account settings in the cloud too (not much there!), all to no avail. It seems I cannot now disable auto-syncing of Contacts ... If somebody thinks I'm missing something help would be appreciated?

I would like to install XPrivacy on CM12.1 (Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100). For that I have to: - Preferably do NANDroid backup - Flash correct version of Xposed framework (xposed-v78-sdk22-arm.zip) - Install Xposed app (XposedInstaller_3.0_alpha4.apk) The problem is in the first point: CM was so kind as to install its own recovery, which does not provide backup option. I used CWM recovery before, but that as far as I know isn't maintained anymore. TWRP is another option, but I can't find version for I9100 (if there is any). What are my options? --- I could probably stick with AppOps, but it is a bit too simple for my needs. Another question is whether it is worth the struggle with installation of XPrivacy given the stability (and security?) of such solution. I could probably substitute some XPrivacy features with AFWall, but I had some issues installing it on CM12.1. Another feature I would like is the access restrictions to Android ID - but that is probably possible only with Xposed(?).

I try to install Xprivacy but I cannot find the install button. When I click on the app logo on my phone, I get the below screen. Clicking on check for root, gets me the new message "Device is rooted" even if I am quite sure it is not. Probably the missing check mark means that it is not rooted (a bit confusing). I assume that I first need to root the phone Correct ?

I read recently about a privacy app that causes the above error to display to keep out unwanted intruders. Does anyone know this app? I remember something about opening yourself by tapping something 3 times or tapping and holding a button, just can't remember specifics. I know from many questions I read about the subject on here that it does happen for a legitimate error but I know I read about an app that uses it as a disguise, so to speak. Anyone?

I would like to select all (or multiple) apps in xprivacy, then revoke (for ALL of them, at the same time), the media/microphone permission (etc.) (how) Is this possible?

I recently realized that Xprivacy is not capable of restricting the file storage access. So now I'm looking for a reliable way to do that. I guess denying the general storage permission would prevent apps from accessing it, but I have yet to find an app that doesn't immediately crash or become useless when you do that. ...So that's definitely not the way to go. Also, I want way more fine-grained control. For instance I might want WhatsApp to be able access /storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp and /data/data/com.whatsapp, but deny access to everything else. Xprivacy seems to be able to do that using its whitelisting functionality. But sadly it doesn't actually work. I found out that every app in Android has it's own Linux user account. And this got me wondering: Shouldn't it be possible to use standard Linux file permissions to manage which app can access which folder? If that requires changing the file system (e.g. switching from FAT to EXT4 for the SD card, as FAT wouldn't support those permissions), can that be done and how? Has anyone tried that before? What would I have to do? (Root access and a terminal are not a problem.)

In [XPrivacy](http://repo.xposed.info/module/biz.bokhorst.xprivacy) it is unclear to me what the different categories mean. So are obvious, but many are not. What is 1. Accounts - to get the gmail address android is signed in with? 2. Browser - the ability to open a browser? 3. Calendar - the ability to add to the calendar? 4. Calling - the ability to make calls? 5. Dictionary 6. Identification 7. IPC 8. Media 9. What's the difference between network and internet? 10. Phone 11. Shell 12. Storage 13. System I mean, by definition an app runs on top of the OS/system so wouldn't everything need the system?

Even weeks after Android devices (tested on KitKat) have been set up, ***Setup Wizard*** still gets called frequently. Using Xprivacy, it is clear that Setup Wizard frequently **connects to Google servers**. What is it doing, and what data is it transmitting/receiving?

I am using XPrivacy + Xposed Framework. is it safe to consider that malware can be controlled thank to Xprivacy?

Maybe it's me but I don't understand XPrivacy's per-permission-settings. The legend sais * first check box: restrict category or function * second check box: restrict on demand * first check box is default value * ■: stands for "partly restricted" * ?: restrictions will be asked But what does ✔ (checked) mean? Fully restricted? And what are the meanings of the combinations? And what is the "default" case for? Can you explain the following combinations: [ ] [ ] (no restrictions (the only one I truly understand :))) [ ] [?] (?? default: no restrictions but ask otherwise?) [ ] [✔] (?? default: no restrictions but full restrictions otherwise?) [ ] [■] (?? default: no restrictions but partly restricted otherwise?) [■] [ ] (?? default: partly restricted) [■] [■] (?? partly on demand, default is partly?) [✔] [ ] (?? default: fully restricted?) [✔] [?] (?? always restrict but ask otherwise??) Which ones are missing? Why isn't there a combination like [■] [?] or [✔] [✔]? Please help me out..

I've noticed (by using XPrivacy) that many applications (and some that has nothing to do with location, such as TextSecure) require the following permissions: Location: srv_listen Phone: srv_listen (These permissions seem to be linked) I failed to find any info on what are these permissions used for, neither what functionality may be harmed by blocking them. I'd be glad if anyone here with some android programming knowledge can spill any light on it... What are they used for? What info may be accessed by granting those permissions? Is it actually providing any location info? Thanks!

I disabled the Google "10003 Contacts" App in the Apps preferences, and although I have installed CardDav for my contacts that I use via my owncloud, the Dialer crashes when I click on a Contact in the call-history How Can I Block the default Google Contacts app without loosing the functionality in the dialer?

I installed xprivacy on my rooted device and blocked all privileges to the "Google Search"-app. Now i cannot add any widgets any more. Which rights do I have to allow and how could I find out such questions my self?