Google is making changes to Android to prevent apps from stealing each other.

The rules update, which goes into effect on May 5 and applies primarily to Android 11, will prohibit most apps from using the new QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission, which reveals details about other apps installed on the device.

This is intended to prevent apps from obtaining sensitive information or creating device profiles that can also be used for advertising or spying purposes.

Exceptions are apps that need to see what is happening as part of their core functionality, such as antivirus apps, browsers, file managers, and search apps. Digital wallets and banking apps might ask for a temporary exception.

These apps need to declare in the Google Play listing that they use this permission.

In a new notice for app developers, Google explains that it "considers device inventory of installed apps queried from a user's device as private and sensitive information."

Apps that require the use of the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission "must be able to adequately justify why less intrusive app visibility methods do not sufficiently enable core functionality for users to comply with app policies"

and "must be able to provide a clear and concise description of the app's functionality.

The QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission introduced in Android 11 replaces and supersedes an older set of features that apps have used to check details of other apps installed on the Android device, according to The Record s Catalin Cimpanu explains.

These features were originally created to solve compatibility issues, but ended up being abused. Because these were features, not permissions, apps did not have to ask or inform users before doing so.

According to a research paper a year ago, about 30% of commercial Android apps (including about 73% of games) used these features to obtain information about other apps installed on the device.

Less than 3% of open source Android apps used such features. Many of the app queries were generated by third-party advertising or utility code used by app developers, often without the developers' own knowledge.

While this change theoretically affects only Android 11, which is estimated to be on only about 6% of Android devices currently in active use, XDA-Developers has been told by Google that all app development should be done on previous versions rather than They explain that it will become more or less mandatory in November, when it will be mandatory to "target" Android 11 or later.