Everyone knows all the apps on your phone
Importance: 5 | # | tech, privacy
Until a few years ago, any app you installed on an Android device could see all other apps on your phone without your permission.
Since 2022, with Android 11, Google removed this access from app developers. Under their new package visibility policy, apps should only see other installed apps if it’s essential to their core functionality. Developers must also explicitly declare these apps in the AndroidManifest.xml file - a required configuration file for all Android apps.
Even fucking Ludo King has [ACTION_MAIN] in its manifest file. So most Indian companies can actually see all the apps on your phone - they're just sneakier about it than the likes of Swiggy and Zepto. So much for being the good guys.