Google's Android 11 this year copied many security and privacy features from iOS

As we all know, the world's smartphone operating systems have been monopolized by Google's open source Android and Apple's proprietary iOS. The two operating systems have long been learning from each other. According to the latest news from foreign media, Google recently launched a preview version of Android 11 this year. Technology media found that this system "copied" some excellent security and privacy features from Apple's iOS system.

According to foreign media reports, on February 19, Google released the first developer preview of Android 11. At this stage, Android 11 may not be suitable for mass users. The operating system is in a very early stage and is designed to allow developers to keep up with how it works so that application software can be smoothly migrated to the new Android system after its official release.

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As usual, Android 11 will be released to the public in the fall.

The latest version of Android reportedly includes a slew of new privacy and security features, many of which will seem familiar to anyone who has used an Apple phone.

One of the key upgrades is "storage scopes," which limits the ability of apps to extract unnecessary data and information from the phone, or access the microphone and camera without any restrictions. In addition, Android also has some other upgrades to better protect user privacy information.

Google's Android 11 release also includes a host of other new features: The phone's text messaging system looks a lot like Facebook Inc.'s Messenger, with bubbles floating on the chat screen, and it will be easier for developers to add a dark mode to their apps.

However, since Android 11 is still in the early stages of the development process, the biggest changes are likely still to be revealed. What Google has announced so far are some of the most technical elements of the next version of Android. They will improve user privacy protection, but will require developers to do most of the work.

"Android has long been the poor cousin of iOS in terms of security," said Victoria Baines, a visiting researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute. "Anything Google is doing now to restore the confidence of consumers, developers and the security community is a good move."

The changes are significant. One of the changes Google made to Android was a change in software access permissions: in previous versions of the operating system, apps were granted full, permanent permissions to access contacts, microphones or cameras after installation, creating the risk of privacy violations.

This has slowly been changing, with the current version of Android (version 10) only allowing location access when the app is open and visible. Android 11 will expand this one-time approach to asking for user permission to other features, meaning users can allow an app to access their camera when they open the app, then once the app is closed, the permission is revoked, requiring the app to ask for permission again the next time.

Bain said this is an important step. "Granting permissions by default and then letting apps have them permanently is no longer popular with many consumers. Temporary, one-time permissions allow users to make more granular choices."

Eke Boyten, professor of cybersecurity at De Montfort University, believes this will have another impact: such safety settings will help avoid alarming cases where the system displays ads based on overheard user conversations.

For years, there have been inaccurate rumors about Facebook and other companies using smartphone microphones to collect user data. Facebook later fueled some of the privacy violations when it was revealed that a software glitch enabled it to turn on Apple phones’ cameras without authorization.

A similar shift is also for the same reason: the "storage scopes" feature limited apps' ability to have unlimited access to your files. It was originally planned to be integrated into Android 10, but was scrapped after developers complained that it was poorly implemented. After improvements, the feature is now back, continuing the idea of ​​ensuring that third-party apps have the least amount of access to limit the risk of data leaks or theft.

Currently, Apple's iOS system limits which apps can more often access content outside of their own code.

A welcome change

Alan Woodward, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Surrey, said the change was a welcome change for Android. "It's always a good idea to constantly check whether apps need the access they're granted: you never know when a malicious app might take advantage of someone else's privileges."

Keeping other data on your phone safe is another priority that Android is addressing as it transitions to Android 11. A feature first announced at Google's Worldwide Developers Conference last year that allows people to securely store identity documents, such as a passport or driver's license, will be introduced to the new Android 11 operating system.

Boyten believes the new identity API is a significant change. "Google is aiming to own a larger share of the online authentication and verification business. This could have interesting consequences in situations where governments seek to require age verification or universal identity systems," he said.

However, he wants Google to ensure this level of security not just to prevent thieves from accessing your electronic passport or police from breaking into your phone to identify you, but also to prevent access to Google's own software.

That's a concern Baines shares. But Google's inclusion of identity in its operating system is welcome, as it builds trust in the promise of a future electronic identity, and it does show that "Google is looking to actively shape the future of authentication -- and ensure that Android devices play a key role in officially identifying us in the years ahead."

Many of these features are, of course, well known to iPhone users. But Woodward disagrees with the idea that this is Android directly copying Apple in its smartphone security efforts. “I think it’s more a case of everyone recognizing what the best practices are and some OS developers implementing that faster than others — maybe convergent evolution,” he says.

However, even though these features are introduced at the OS level, the Android market is so fragmented that just because the latest version of Android is updated, it does not mean that the security holes will be patched.

At present, most smartphone manufacturers around the world modify and customize the code based on Google's free and open source code, and then pre-install it on their own mobile phone products. However, these customized versions do not use Google's latest Android version. According to statistics, more than one in every 20 people who own Android phones in the world is running the "antique" Android operating system released in November 2014.

Android users are also much wider - so don't expect apps to use the latest security features offered by the Android system.

“I suspect we’ll see Android leverage many of the security features used by Apple, but it will also need to cater to the lowest common denominator, which may delay some smartphone vendors from deploying new features,” Woodward said.

What motivation?

It is not surprising that Google's Android system has borrowed some practices from Apple in terms of privacy protection. In the past, Apple's iOS operating system has also introduced innovative features from the Android operating system, some of which have even been used by Android for several years. However, in terms of privacy protection, Apple is considered to be ahead of its peers. Apple executives, including Cook, often use privacy protection as a major selling point of Apple phones in public. Apple emphasizes that sensitive data will be stored locally and not uploaded to network servers. In addition, sensitive information is encrypted, so even law enforcement agencies cannot obtain users' confidential information from Apple.

Google once had a good corporate image, but in the past two years, Google has followed Facebook in countless scandals involving violations of personal privacy, such as continuing to collect location information after users turn off the function, or opening users' private letters to external third parties (including human readers).

Google's privacy violations are being investigated by regulators in the European Union, the United States and other countries. Google's collection of massive amounts of private information and its efforts to increase advertising effectiveness and click-through rates have also been criticized by the public.

With Pichai as CEO of both Google and Alphabet, Google has launched a comprehensive overhaul, including a thorough investigation into sexual harassment scandals among senior executives within the company, as well as improving the Android system's protection of user privacy and maintaining its product image.

However, the long-standing problem of Android fragmentation still poses an obstacle to improving system security and protecting user privacy. Only after smartphone manufacturers introduce the latest version of Android, make customized modifications and push them, can Google's good intentions and upgrade actions become a real safer experience for users.