{"id":13346,"date":"2015-11-10T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T15:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/key-takeaways-mobile-apps\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:19:45","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:19:45","slug":"key-takeaways-mobile-apps","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/11\/10\/key-takeaways-mobile-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Key takeaways on mobile apps and privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As smartphone adoption <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/10\/29\/technology-device-ownership-2015\/\">continues to climb<\/a> in the U.S., mobile applications, or apps, are becoming increasingly important tools that offer access to everything from news and social networking sites to online banking and maps.\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">But even free apps can involve potential tradeoffs when it comes to permitting access to personal devices and information.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/11\/10\/apps-permissions-in-the-google-play-store\/\">Pew Research Center report<\/a> examines more than 1 million apps available in the Google Play Store from June to September 2014 and explores the wide range of permissions that Android apps require as a condition of use. (In the Android operating system, \u201cpermissions\u201d are what app developers use to inform users about how the app will interact with the device and personal information.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, Pew Research\u00a0surveyed Americans about their privacy concerns relating to apps and found many are cautious when it comes to how apps use their personal data.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"p1 wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"s1\">Our analysis of permissions focused on Android apps, which are not representative of all apps on all platforms. We used Android apps for the study because data for them are\u00a0more readily\u00a0available to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"p1 wp-block-paragraph\">Here are five takeaways from the report:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/11\/10\/apps-permissions-in-the-google-play-store\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-274950\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dde0e4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dde0e4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"310\" height=\"400\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/11\/FT_15.11.09_permissions_install.png?resize=310,400 310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-24569 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/11\/FT_15.11.09_permissions_install.png\" alt=\"6-in-10 Smartphone App Users Have Chosen Not to Install an App Because of Concerns About Personal Information\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Among all smartphone app users, six-in-ten downloaders have chosen not to install an app when they discovered how much personal information the app required in order to use it. <\/strong>Separately, 43% have uninstalled an app for the same reason after initially downloading it.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">Among all smartphone owners who have downloaded apps before, <strong>a majority cited concerns about how their personal data are used as a reason why they would or would not download an app. <\/strong>Nine-in-ten app downloaders say that having clear information about how their data will be used is \u201cvery\u201d or \u201csomewhat\u201d important when choosing whether or not to download an app.<!--more--><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Most Android app permissions seek access to a device\u2019s hardware, rather than a user\u2019s personal information.<\/strong> Of the 235 distinct types of permissions associated with apps in the Google Play Store, most (165) relate to allowing an app access to the device\u2019s hardware, such as allowing the app to control the camera flash or prevent the device from going to sleep, while 70 app permissions could allow access to personal information. Personal information in this context relates to getting a user\u2019s precise location using GPS or reading data about your contacts stored on your device.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/11\/10\/apps-permissions-in-the-google-play-store\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-274949\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"310\" height=\"635\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/11\/FT_15.11.09_permissions_connection.png?resize=310,635 310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-24565 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/11\/FT_15.11.09_permissions_connection.png\" alt=\"Most-Requested Permissions for Mobile Apps Relate to Device's Internet Connection\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The most common Android app permissions allow access to a smartphone\u2019s internet connectivity. <\/strong>The average app requested five permissions before installation, and the two most common permissions sought by Android\u00a0apps help those apps access the internet. These include the \u201cFull network access\u201d permission (used by 83% of apps), which allows an app to access whatever network the device is connected to at the time, as well as the \u201cView network connections\u201d permission (used by 69% of apps). The latter type of permission enables an app to see what networks the device is able to access. The third- and fourth-most-common permissions allow apps to access memory or available storage on the phone, a feature apps would need in order to save content to the device.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u00a0A majority of Android apps we analyzed were free. <\/strong>Some 82% of apps in the Google Play Store from June through September 2014 were free to download, while 18% required purchasing before being able to download. On average, free apps ask for two more permissions than paid apps (six permissions vs. four).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: Details\u00a0on the\u00a0full methodology of the report <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/11\/10\/apps-permissions-methods\/\">are\u00a0available here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Six-in-ten app downloaders have chosen not to install an app when they discovered how much personal information the app required in order to use it. 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