How do I use the android application without location and camera access?
I received my firewalla gold. I located a phone I can waste on the task of managing this device. I installed the app from google play. Once I ran it... it stopped and will not go forward without location permissions. Looking into the permissions it requests I find it wants location and camera.
I am managing a firewall... yes? Why does a firewall management app on a phone need to know the location of my phone and access to my camera?
We are getting these to increase privacy (well I am). Telling people where I am is the antipode of privacy. And, unneeded to manage a firewall. (OK a mobile app is also unneeded too.. but, evidently this was a poorly considered requirement it seems).
How do I use the app designed to manage a product to increase my privacy without further reducing my privacy by giving unneeded location information?
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Good question Frank. Let me explain a bit and hopefully, it is clear to everyone.
In order for the Gold to pair and for the app to manage your Gold box when you first plug it in, it will use Bluetooth on your smartphone. And due to how Android works, in order for the app to use Bluetooth, the app will need to ask for location services. This is something coded in the Android operating system, nothing from us. So you get "requests for location services". We just need to activate Bluetooth ... but Android asks you for Location.
Next, the camera is used to scan the QR code during pairing. This is just we activate your box + license + phone together.
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It is perfectly fine to disable both the location services + camera after pairing. And if you need pairing, you may need to open them both up again. There are a few reset functions that may go through Bluetooth as well, so when you do a reset, the Bluetooth may also be used.
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Thanks
Yes, I noticed it complained about bluetooth. After seeing the dongle is a Cambridge Bluetooth dongle I realised, I could not use most of my phones and found one that did not have bluetooth disabled (security fixed that exploit on next phones). Sadly, I do not have a phone with a camera since it was the first item disconnected by security.
So, Without a camera what is my option?
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