Google Contacts w/ Sandboxed Google Play and Google Phone Safe?

dregrinfuces

I'm currently using Google Phone with GOS' sandboxed Google Play installed. I can accept that. I'm considering replacing the default GOS Contacts app with Google Contacts. If I do that, does Google get to dance through my Contacts and upload them to the their mothership?

I'm not sure if Google Contacts requires the Network permissions. But, Google Phone has that and I'm worried Contacts might send information to Phone and from there it might get farmed out to Google servers with that permission. Is this a bad idea?

Note: I'm not sure if Third Party App applies here. I guess Google Contacts is 3rd party to GOS. But, it would be considered 1st party for Android.

Tandara

Google contacts will be able to send data to any installed google product that has network access. The app itself doesn't require network though.

I see the point in using Google phone app, but what's the point of their contacts? They look almost identical and have the same functionality. Besides, if you are using Google phone, you likely allowed it access to contacts...

dregrinfuces

I'm worried about how maintained the AOSP Contacts app is. This came up when I tried exporting my contacts and importing them somewhere else. The exported vcf was version 2.1 and I had to convert to something more recent in order to import it. I'm assuming the Google Contacts app is a bit more up-to-date in that regard.

But, you're right about Google Phone already having access to my contacts. I hadn't considered that. I guess at this point, changing to Google Contacts probably wouldn't make any privacy difference.