Question regarding Google Play Store

Jules

I have been using GrapheneOS for a little while now without the Google Play Store installed and have been using Aurora Store to download apps because I prefer Google to not know which apps I use in general. I wanted to install YouTube and YouTube Music though and had to use the Google Play Store to download those apps. So, I signed into my account on the Play Store and downloaded them, thinking that since everything is sandboxed, the Play Store would only know that I have YouTube downloaded and that's it. But now I see that the Play Store knows every app I have downloaded anonymously from Aurora Store. I know this because if I search any app I downloaded from Aurora on the Play Store, it gives me the option to open the app, and it even shows updates available for apps I downloaded from Aurora. So my question is, how could the Play Store know about all of the other apps that I anonymously downloaded from the Aurora Store?

de0u

Jules How could the Play Store know about all of the other apps that I anonymously downloaded from the Aurora Store?

One thing apps can do is list which apps are installed (in the same profile). For example, multiple Amazon apps can see each other, and then communicate via IPC, to improve(?) the user experience. Once you log in via one Amazon app, you are logged in to the others as well.

What you observed is part of how Android is expected to work, and also part of the reason why there is (some) support for multiple user profiles: inventorying apps is one of the things that is limited to within-profile operation.

Jules

de0u thank you for the response. Now I see the importance of the ability to create separate profiles for a situation like this. I always figured since the Play Store and everything is sandboxed, having another profile on GrapheneOS wasn't ever needed from a privacy standpoint. Just out of curiosity and for the sake of me understanding this fully, when you say "one thing apps can do is list which apps are installed," could you further elaborate? Where/how exactly are apps listing which apps are installed and how does the Play Store see that information? Also, does this mean that any random app I have downloaded on my phone also knows about all of the other apps I have downloaded (within the same profile in GrapheneOS)?

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Jules

Where/how exactly are apps listing which apps are installed and how does the Play Store see that information?

I guess you should ask about this on StackOverflow. Most people here are not developers.

Also, does this mean that any random app I have downloaded on my phone also knows about all of the other apps I have downloaded (within the same profile in GrapheneOS)?

Yes. Also "downloaded" is incorrect, It should be "installed", There's an difference between "installed" and "downloaded".

Jules I always figured since the Play Store and everything is sandboxed

If literally everything (including OS version, app list, Reading sync settings, etc.) was guarded by an (appop/runtime/development) permission, Apps simply wouldn't work and Users would suffer from permission fatigue. Sandboxing shouldn't be used like a hype word.

de0u

Jules Just out of curiosity and for the sake of me understanding this fully, when you say "one thing apps can do is list which apps are installed," could you further elaborate?

I think this probably qualifies as elaboration: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/PackageManager

But this might be a better place to start: https://developer.android.com/training/package-visibility

Jules

[deleted] interesting. I have much more to learn. Thank you.

Jules

de0u very helpful and a good starting place for me to learn. Thank you.