Timeline for How are "ShareIt","Xender" etc able to install APK without requiring "unknown source" permission?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
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| May 23, 2017 at 12:40 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://stackoverflow.com/ with https://stackoverflow.com/
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| May 11, 2017 at 0:30 | history | edited | Andy Yan | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| May 10, 2017 at 16:21 | comment | added | Izzy |
Note that if an app comes pre-installed (i.e. it is a system app), it can do silent installs – as INSTALL_PACKAGES is defined with protectionLevel "SystemOrSignature". So if ShareIt came pre-installed on the device (which it sometimes is), this is a very likely scenario. No root needed for that then. (Andy: You might wish to include this fact with your answer, as only few will read up to this comment ;)
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| Apr 1, 2017 at 17:51 | comment | added | Grimoire | @beeshyams It works with any device connected to the same network. As far as I can tell, the host must be Android, but any device can then connect to the same network and visit the HTTP address shown in the app to download the file(s). | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 17:30 | comment | added | Grimoire | @beeshyams Avoid that app and its horrendous mole of required permissions. Consider using the open source Share via HTTP (available on F-Droid), instead. I'm in no way affiliated with the app. | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 8:27 | history | edited | Andy Yan | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Apr 1, 2017 at 7:37 | comment | added | Andy Yan | That's new to me. Please edit your question to include this detail, so that others could take it into consideration later when they come up with a better answer. I might have to try that app myself and grab a log when it's running to see what fuss it hides behind. | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 7:21 | comment | added | Neo | My phone is not rooted. And it did not ask for root permissions either. But in India, ShareIt is a very popular method of installing apps through peer-to-peer. | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 6:57 | comment | added | Andy Yan | @beeshyams In China here, a lot of 3rd party app markets would do silent or automated install. The 1st way is as described here, and they will ask for root permission on first install; the 2nd is to ask you to turn on an accessibility service, then automate the clicks on the "install" buttons. | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 6:49 | comment | added | beeshyams | I used SHAREit once, in desperation to transfer some files to iOS and promptly uninstalled it. It didn't ask for root permissions. This was a couple of months ago and OP could be talking of a letter app version | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 6:41 | comment | added | beeshyams | wondering, even if the phone is rooted, can the app grab SU permission at install time? That would be scary and goes against what little I know of SU stuff | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 6:28 | comment | added | Andy Yan | Note that I didn't actually try ShareIt and analyse what it really does, just putting forward the most likely theory. If you are not rooted and it still worked, then we might have a much more interesting problem to look into. | |
| Apr 1, 2017 at 6:27 | history | answered | Andy Yan | CC BY-SA 3.0 |