Make a minimal-permissions version?

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Currently, the "Hacker's Keyboard" application requests the permissions needed 
by the underlying Gingerbread keyboard, which uses the contacts information for 
completion of names and email addresses, and audio recording for the voice 
input feature.

If you're interested in using Hacker's Keyboard, but don't want to install it 
due to the permissions it asks for, please star this bug. If there's sufficient 
interest, I'll look into making an alternate build with the code needing these 
permissions disabled. It should be doable but is a fair amount of work, and 
makes it more difficult to publish new releases due to the duplication involved.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by klausw@google.com on 20 May 2011 at 10:20

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Original comment by klausw@google.com on 20 May 2011 at 10:21

• Changed title: Make a minimal-permissions version?

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Yes, please, offer a no-permissions alternative. I understand the permissions 
are only inherited, but disable auto correct and don't use voice input.  Due to 
permissions I would on general principles not install this on my phone unless I 
built it from source; right now it's on my test tablet that has no meaningful 
address book on it.

Original comment by cs07...@gmail.com on 24 May 2011 at 4:03

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+1 for providing fortified version.

Original comment by paul.sok...@linaro.org on 22 Aug 2011 at 9:01

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Good news, pmiscml is currently adapting the code to work for Android 1.6 
(eclair), and it looks like the changes needed include disabling voice input 
and contacts completion. See issue 57 for details. As a result, that version 
would not need the corresponding permissions. If this approach works as 
expected, I'll publish that build on Market as an alternative package.

Original comment by Klaus.We...@gmail.com on 26 Dec 2011 at 6:37

• Changed state: Started

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Just a personal reflection: I've lobbied for optional permissons in the system 
for quite some time now (Dianne disagrees), but this is yet another case where 
it would make life a significantly better. Newer CyanogenMod releases 
implements it in a somewhat brute force way, that I would consider better than 
nothing. Sorry for the rant.

Original comment by catel...@gmail.com on 8 Jan 2012 at 9:38

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I agree that optional permissions would make this a lot easier, but my 
suggestions and rants have also been unable to convince the powers that be, and 
it's probably a bit late to change fundamental Android design decisions at this 
point without breaking things.

Original comment by Klaus.We...@gmail.com on 8 Jan 2012 at 3:41

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+1 for providing less permissions version.

Original comment by monk...@gmail.com on 28 Apr 2012 at 6:21

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I stumbled across this app and wanted to install it. Then stopped short when I 
saw that it requested access to my contacts list.

Open source or not, I hesitated and haven't installed it because of that.
+1 to a permissions free version.

Original comment by bobby....@gmail.com on 10 Jul 2012 at 3:27

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+1 for providing less permissions version.

Original comment by dannyboy...@gmail.com on 27 Dec 2012 at 4:05

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+1 This is very important for me. I would rather pay for a keyboard with 
similar features then installing this.

Original comment by nauman...@googlemail.com on 2 Jan 2013 at 12:48

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+1 for providing less permissions version.

Original comment by gomez.is...@gmail.com on 11 Apr 2013 at 5:55

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+1 for a no permissions version. A bit surprised that those permissions are 
default on android. 

Original comment by eric.e.w...@gmail.com on 19 Apr 2013 at 11:50

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+1 for minimal permission version.

Original comment by schumi....@gmail.com on 30 Apr 2013 at 2:07

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+1 Please for less permissions. Payment is not a problem.

Original comment by komisarb...@gmail.com on 9 May 2013 at 11:11

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+1 for minimal permissions version-especially regarding read contacts and read 
call log.  Keep up the great work.  You're doing a fantastic job.

Original comment by Carnival...@gmail.com on 27 May 2013 at 8:47

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Unsubscribe please

minimal-permissions version?

read call log.  Keep up the great work.  You're doing a fantastic job.

Original comment by profwas...@gmail.com on 27 May 2013 at 9:24

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+1 for minimal permissions version, no read call log and no read contacts. I'd 
like to reserve my privacy. thanks!

Original comment by Cale...@gmail.com on 11 Jun 2013 at 5:10

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Sigh... only #6??  I too want a minimal-permission keyboard. Is a settings 
option posdible such that the keyboard would not need or use contacts, 
passwords, etc so none of those sources are read?

Original comment by Counsel....@gmail.com on 26 Jun 2013 at 2:38

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Goodness, yes.  Please ask the dev community for assistance with any blocking 
obstacles standing in the way of developing a version which does not require 
reading any personal data, particularly after the recent news broke of NSA 
Leaker Snowden, and even more so since this week's Guardian report on 
Microsoft's collaboration activities.  

I don't personally have anything to fear, it's just that users and responsible 
developers have, well, a responsibility to stand up for privacy concerns and 
buck the frightening trend.

Original comment by gregoreg...@gmail.com on 13 Jul 2013 at 7:00

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Somehow, my contact list picked up my entire roster of facebook friends. I hate 
facebook. So, now autocomplete is trying to add names instead of normal words 
like "city."

Original comment by QueenCan...@gmail.com on 6 Oct 2013 at 5:36

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Please do !
I don't care about my contacts' names available as suggestions, whereas it is 
very frustrating to see "etre" (french : être, to be) always being repaced by 
some Mrs "ENTRASANGLE" in my contacts. If not making a second version, if you 
at least could ask for the user wether they want their contacts database added 
to the dictionnary or not, it would be great !
(Better accentuated words recognition could also help in this way but I guess 
it is easier for you just to add this checkbox. ^^)
Appart from that, I love your app, really. Tried many keyboards on different 
hardwares, yours is the best in the whole world ! Fluid on any hw, 
customizable, pretty, everything.

Original comment by adrien.l...@gmail.com on 21 Oct 2013 at 3:06

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please provide us with a Keyboard that doesnt need to access to anything in the 
phone. 

Then +1 !

Original comment by phopq...@gmail.com on 22 Oct 2013 at 5:40

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+1 please :-) My contacts are only MY contacts.

Original comment by hrazd...@gmail.com on 25 Oct 2013 at 2:19

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After a long hiatus, I've finally been able to revisit the keyboard. Version 
1.34rc15 removes the RECORD_AUDIO and READ_CONTACTS permissions.

Voice typing should still work, I've switched to a new library that uses 
built-in OS support for this where available. I've disabled the Contacts 
dictionary entirely since it seems to provide little benefit, and it can 
consume a lot of memory for users with lots of contacts.

Please let me know if it works for you: 
https://code.google.com/p/hackerskeyboard/downloads/list

Original comment by Klaus.We...@gmail.com on 20 Dec 2013 at 12:34

• Changed state: FixInTest

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That's great, I almost lost hope in getting this fixed. Thanks for finally 
going back to the issue!

Will test as soon as possible.

Original comment by bawr...@gmail.com on 20 Dec 2013 at 1:05

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[bulk bug update]

The changes from the 1.34rcX prerelease series are included in version 1.37 as 
published on the Play Store, and this bug should be fixed. If it's still not 
working for you, please reopen or file a new bug. Thanks to everyone who helped 
with finding bugs and testing!

Original comment by Klaus.We...@gmail.com on 26 Dec 2013 at 7:12

• Changed state: Verified