Users are outraged because Samsung’s washing machine app asks for permission to access contacts and location on smartphones

Tram Ho

A range of Samsung apps that allow customers to control their internet-connected devices have been requesting access to all of the user’s phone contacts. And in some cases, the app requires information about the phone call, the phone’s location, and camera access. Many customers say they have been angry about this for years.

Recently, a user on the Reddit forum complained that his washing machine app, Samsung Smart Washer, won’t work “unless I give it access to my contacts, location, and camera. “

And as it turns out, this is not something that just happens to one person.

“When I launch the app, the damn thing wants all sorts of permissions: location, phone calls, media and… contacts? The app won’t work without these permissions” , another Reddit user also made a complaint last year, related to another Samsung app called Samsung Smart Home.

“Why does the Samsung Smart Home app need access to my contacts?” , this user asks a question.

Người dùng phẫn nộ vì ứng dụng máy giặt của Samsung yêu cầu quyền truy cập danh bạ, vị trí trên smartphone - Ảnh 1.

Screenshot of Samsung Smart Washer app.

Reviews for both of the aforementioned apps, which each have over a million installs according to their Google Play Store stats, are also not very positive. The Smart Washer app has an average score of just 2.1/5, thanks to a series of reviews that mention unnecessary permissions.

“This app makes no sense. It asks bogus permissions to your phone, camera, contacts, location… (almost everything needed to keep track of your life), then it does. close when you deny permission to even one of them.App only close when I don’t let it track me?”, one user wrote.

In recent reviews, other users have called these permissions “absurd”, “unacceptable”, “nasty” and “horrible”. One user even called it “spyware”. Reviews for the Samsung Smart Home app – which has a score of 2.7 out of 5 on the Google Play Store – also include similar complaints about these permissions.

Người dùng phẫn nộ vì ứng dụng máy giặt của Samsung yêu cầu quyền truy cập danh bạ, vị trí trên smartphone - Ảnh 2.

Samsung’s Smart Washer app only scored 2.1 stars out of 5.

According to VICE, these situations speak to two problems. One, apps ask for permissions they don’t need, and two, “smart” devices and the internet of things are making previously simple tasks very complicated, and opening up potential concerns. hidden about privacy and security.

Over the past few years, people have become more sensitive to what they have given up in privacy and security, as they deal with big tech companies. For example, smart TVs (including Samsung products) have been detected silently listening to users and automatically delivering targeted ads. Tech companies have had to adapt and do better. For example, both Apple and Google allow users to view the data an app has access to, and in some cases, users can toggle these permissions individually.

New versions of Android coming soon will even have a dedicated “Privacy Dashboard” feature where users can see which apps have used which permissions and revoke them if they wish. Apple’s iOS has a similar function. But, none of this stops app developers from asking users to accept unnecessary permissions.

And for the general user, it won’t be clear to them why apps designed just to let them set the type of wash cycle they want, or see how long it takes for the dryer to complete the job, need access to contacts on their phone. In the answer to frequently asked questions, for another Samsung app, the company says it needs access to contacts “to check if you have a Samsung account set up in your device. Know. this information will help mySamsung make the sign-in process seamless.”

But clearly, this explanation is somewhat unsatisfactory.

Samsung did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

Người dùng phẫn nộ vì ứng dụng máy giặt của Samsung yêu cầu quyền truy cập danh bạ, vị trí trên smartphone - Ảnh 3.

Don’t let these “smart” devices become “security holes” on your smartphone.

Although there are many people using the above applications, according to recent reviews, the Smart Washer and Smart Home applications have not received an update since October 7, 2020, indicating that Samsung does not support them anymore. On the US website, Samsung advertises a smart washing machine that comes with a newer app called SmartThings App, which has fewer licensing requirements than the older apps.

The SmartThings app, according to its Google Play store page, doesn’t list any required permissions, stating that “you can use the app without optional permissions, but some functionality may be limited.” regime.”

Its optional rights are described as follows:

– Location: Used to find nearby devices using Bluetooth or BLE and to automate actions using GPS (GPS is optional)

– Camera: Used to scan QR codes

– Contacts: Used to get phone numbers in your contacts to send text message notifications

– Microphone: Used to provide voice control features.

– Memory: Used to save data and transfer files and content using the application.

– Calls: Used to make calls on the smart speaker and display information about the sender when sharing content with another device.

So, if you have an internet-connected Samsung device and aren’t comfortable letting its app see all of your friends’ phone numbers, try using the newer app. Or maybe just use the washing machine the old-fashioned way, without a smartphone.

Refer to VICE

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Source : Genk