[FEATURE REQUEST] Disable Background App Use by Default

fentydroid

Allow not only disabling background use by apps by default, but allow configuring conditions for background app usage.

For example, I want to disable background app use for all of my apps, except Signal, F-Droid, and a few essential system servcies. Most if not all third-party apps do not need background access to my phone nor its network - Apple does decent with this, enabling background usage on an opt-in basis for third-party apps, excluding notification services, of course.

Ideally, the dev team would be able to expand on this: Users could then disable background app use of mobile netowrks, which is one of the biggest battery drains (and money drains!). Or, they could disable background access of other systems.

Currently, a user has to go into settings through several pages, then disable background usage on the battery optimization page for the application.

Provided apps can access my real IP through my VPN in the background, I especially don't want apps communicating with my network unless I'm very intentional in my interaction with them.
(see: https://github.com/GrapheneOS/platform_packages_modules_Connectivity/pull/18 issue 2381

Oggyo

When I'm using the same approach (disabled "Allow background usage" and "Background data") for most of my installed apps, please allow me to express two concerns:

This might not be feasible for all users and their assumptions based on the previous behaviour before moving to GrapheneIOS. Workaround - manually go and do that for every app. Yes, those changes are persistent on the device reboots.
Despite turning off the "Allow background usage" some apps still run in the background and can communicate with internet. Workaround - keep such apps in "Disabled" state or put the, in a User profile (or Private space) with proper settings for keeping that profile running.

Alajanda

Oggyo "allow . . . disabling background use"
as in, the user would have to set a toggle to disable background use by default, the same way users have to toggle the default sensor permission manually.

presently, the background app use permission is most comparable to the "Play Integrity API" setting — there's no way to block it until after installing the app, and it can only be blocked on a per-app basis

Sagebath

Thank you! I didn't realize I had to disable background usage for each app. Maybe I'll start setting longer battery life now?

Alajanda

Sagebath have you looked into which apps have sensor permissions? it's bizarre how many apps love to steal your sensor data - especially any with builtin ads, they love taking your gyroscope data.

Oggyo

Alajanda the same way users have to toggle the default sensor permission manually.

Here I'm not discussing the way to disable it, but the feasibility of the (global) switch.

Alajanda

This is off-topic, the discussion is not about sensors or other permissions.

Alajanda

Oggyo Well, the reason I brought it up, pardon me for not prefacing with this, but background app access for certain apps means that I have persistent notifications of those apps trying to access various permissions — especially Sensor permissions. The reason I personally want them toggled by default is that I realized many apps may be accessing other permissions in the background.

The mobile networks one is most important, as it uses a lot of battery.

GrouchyGrape

Much easier to simply use private space or another user profile... Any reason you don't want to go that route?

Alajanda

GrouchyGrape I suppose the post was misleading and implied this relates to some threat model, maybe by mention of the VPN deanonymization.

I want to easily toggle background app access mainly for convenience, battery optimization, and not having apps make requests in the background. In the Permission manager, it would be great if I could go through and disable the apps that have Background access, but it's not there. I would also like if it could be disabled by default. But it's setup similar to the Play Integrity API toggle, so that it has to be done slowly, manually, per-app, without any configurable default permission.

GrouchyGrape

Alajanda Sure, makes plenty sense. That's why I think private space fits this perfectly. When private space is closed, so are all the apps. A swipe and two taps later, they're available to run as normal then as soon as you're done just kill the space again. That's what I do and it is incredibly convenient.

Oggyo

Alajanda
You are mixing up the things. I have nothing to add re. the OP. Please re-read the other posts and hold on topic.
Thanks.

Alajanda

GrouchyGrape Can I use private space as my primary system then?

GrouchyGrape

Alajanda you could, sure. I leave the apps I use frequently (messaging, email, music, etc) in the normal owner profile. Everything else gets put in the private space. When I need one of those, I open the space, do what I need to do, then close the space.