Beware of Android Market - especially with your kids

[Pancake]

There is a wider issue here though, in that Google is linking different activitjes into one homogonous application. The OP used his credit card legitimately to make a payment through Google Pay.

Google (if my understanding of the first post is correct) then linked that card with his android account, without the OP's permission.

Google may say they can/will do that in the small print of their T&Cs, but I'm not sure that many people will realise the implications.

There is actually a box to tick the first time you use your card, although it is already ticked. But you can still untick it. The tick box is to save your card.

[Hoonigan]

Its not hard to find, and Android is not like that. Its about using what YOU want, not what someone thinks you should use like with any Apple device

So, choice > credit card security?

Good call.

[Pancake]

So, choice > credit card security?

Good call.

Oh so you want to live in a world where you cant choose what you want to do? you want to HAVE TO lock your door when you leave your house, HAVE TO have a PIN to get on your phone even if your a responsible person?

Perhaps you just have to act like an adult to use Android.

[Hoonigan]

Oh so you want to live in a world where you cant choose what you want to do? you want to HAVE TO lock your door when you leave your house, HAVE TO have a PIN to get on your phone even if your a responsible person?

Perhaps you just have to act like an adult to use Android.

Did you read what I said?

Passwords should be default, for you to remove if you wish.



Would you buy a house that had no locks on the doors? Serious question.

"If you want locks, you're gonna have to get them fitted."

But, if the house has locks, you have the choice of whether or not you use them.

[Pancake]

But the "Locks" are there! you are choosing to use them or not.

Thanks for proving my point!

[Hoonigan]

But the "Locks" are there! you are choosing to use them or not.

Thanks for proving my point!

What point have I proven? If you want a serious debate about this, at least reference things I'm saying and "prove your point" instead of just telling me I need to "be an adult" or that "Android is for grown ups".

[Pancake]

Ok clearly you dont understand, ill use your examples.

House = Phone with android on

Locks = Facility to lock access to something

Keys = Things to unlock the lock

Android has the locks and you choose to use the keys, it doesn't not have locks. As you CAN set a pin.

[billythewiz]

Hahah yes it does, EVERY version of android supports this under "Location and Security"

Oh dear, you seem to have totally missed the point. The device was for the children. A screen lock PIN would serve no purpose whatsoever. I want them to use it and so with a locked screen I would still give them the PIN so they could open the device themselves.

What was missing was a PIN on purchases via Android Market. I don't want anyone (myself and wife included) to be able to do that. Certainly not easily and definitely not accidentally or via a single, in-app click.

What next .....

"Would you like to purchase an Oil Tanker of Smurfberries for £1,000,000 - **YES** or no". - Sorry, no refunds for in-app purchases !

[billythewiz]

And its not a loophole as you CAN set a pin/pass.

You CANNOT set a PIN on v1.0.27 of the Android Market App that ships with a Motorola Xoom running Android 3.2 (fully updated).
You also CANNOT upgrade the version of the Android Market App using v1.0.27.
You HAVE to do it manually, by downloading the APK !

And there was me thinking I made this clear in the original post

It also turns out that the default setting for Android Market is to NOT require a password or PIN ( I'm used to IOS so I was stunned by this). In fact it's a feature that was only added in September 2011 !

But the best bit is that the Xoom, running Android 3.2, ships with v.1.0.27. A version so old that it neither supports a PIN or the ability to upgrade itself to a version that does.

[peterb]

<---Snip

Perhaps you just have to act like an adult to use Android.

What point have I proven? If you want a serious debate about this, at least reference things I'm saying and "prove your point" instead of just telling me I need to "be an adult" or that "Android is for grown ups".

<admin mode>Keep it civil please, it is an important subject, don't let it descend into personal point scoring... </admin mode>

[Pancake]

You CANNOT set a PIN on v1.0.27 of the Android Market App that ships with a Motorola Xoom running Android 3.2 (fully updated).
You also CANNOT upgrade the version of the Android Market App using v1.0.27.
You HAVE to do it manually, by downloading the APK !

And there was me thinking I made this clear in the original post

Yes but thats not a Google problem, its a Motorola problem...

[billythewiz]

And the fact of the matter is that you can lock the whole phone anyway, so i dont get why OP doesnt have a problem with being able to call and text without a pin? calling an 0845 will cost looooaaadssss

The device, a Motorola Xoom, is a wireless only tablet. It cannot make phone calls or send texts.

[Pancake]

The device, a Motorola Xoom, is a wireless only tablet. It cannot make phone calls or send texts.

Its just a point about phones in general, the is no difference from buying apps and phoning a number, they both cost

[jim]

I was going to post earlier that this had turned into one of the most stupid threads I'd ever seen on Hexus.

I'm glad to see that it has improved since then.

[billythewiz]

Yes but thats not a Google problem, its a Motorola problem...

I'll concede that point.

Personally I think google are complicit. It is their application that gave up my credit card details to an old and insecure version of their Market app (albeit supplied by Motorola). Google has obviously not been successful in convincing or forcing Motorola to fix this flaw (if they even tried), despite a fix being available for 4 months.

But I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. The purpose of the original post was to inform and help others who may have similar problems (potentially on other Android devices not supplied by Motorola).

Is it just "personal point scoring" that peterb mentioned ?

[Pancake]

Its just you are making out as if it did everything without you knowing, but you actually agreed to everything.

Google wont force anyone to do anything or upgrade, the OS is almost 100% open source and people can do with it what they want. Its up to the vendors to provide the upgrade unless you want to root it and get the updates almost as they come out.