If you have a mobile Alcatel I recommend you take a look to see if the gallery app that came pre-installed is still there or has mutated. The original application was called simply Gallery or Gallery, but has recently been replaced by Candy Gallery, a change that has not liked anything to users because it has ads and doesn’t work too well.
it is Not entirely clear what models of Alcatel has happened this change or if it has happened in all the countries, but the reviews that are leaving the astonished users in Google Play it is clear that there are several affected, and are not at all happy with the change.
Gallery original versus Gallery, “new”
To find the gallery app original from Alcatel we need to go back to last year (here your APK). It was a gallery app more-or-less standard, developer wed-alcatel.support, like the rest of mark applications published in Google Play. The application that it replaces, however, is signed by Hi Art Studio, a company of Hong Kong with a Gmail address as a contact.
In the permissions, the Gallery’s original Alcatel required normal: data warehouse, camera and location. All of them are optional and you explain to what are needed at the time in which you need to grant.
Gallery original Alcatel The “new” gallery, Candy Gallery, it starts with the same wizard that the gallery normal, but anything more you open it you see an interesting change: the announcements and requires some additional permissions as phone and SMS. What for? Officially for anything, because I haven’t achieved that I ask to click on any option, so that technically will be disabled unless you go to options and change it (or have a Lollipop).
The new camera app, Candy Gallery As the gallery app the truth is that it is no wonder. Have any option of editing more than the original, but to change urges you again and again to download Candy Selfie Camera, the other app by the same author. See your own photos takes more time than in the old version.
Gallery original | Candy Gallery | |
|---|---|---|
required Permissions | Storage, camera, location | Store, SMS, phone, location |
Size of the application | 60,02 MB | 33,09 MB |
Author in Google Play | wed-alcatel.support | Hi Art Studio |
the Name of the package | com.tct.gallery3d | com.tct.gallery3d |
does this Mean that it is malicious?
Technically we can not say that the new gallery Candy Gallery is malicious in and of itself. It is true that you have declared the permissions for Phone and SMS, but do not come to ask during their use, and therefore are not granted unless you manually. This changes if you use Lollipop, the oldest version supported, then you must accept all permissions or none.
it Could be that the developer has simply forgotten to “remove” these permissions in the application manifest, which in itself is a terrible practice for an application to be installed on thousands of devices, but even so we cannot confirm that it is malicious. The advertising that includes pointing to your own application, Candy Selfie Camera, is certainly in bad taste, annoying, and ugly, but nor is it nothing that we haven’t seen before.
Now, taking into account these precedents and Twitter is upholstered with tweets identical to the next saying that “they love Candy Selfie Camera” makes me the least suspicious that it is some kind of automatic spam, which would be a good warning to stay away from this developer.
I find a fantastic Candy Selfie Camera: the sweetest and most interesting camera. Eat download it on Google Play store:https://t.co/M8hwJq81w6
— Martin islands (@Martini25204339) January 29, 2018
In summary, we do not know exactly if Candy Gallery is malicious, but what is clear is that it is quite bad. It works regular, it is slow and is not pleasing to the users, who are leaving negative reviews on Google Play as soon as you have chance to try it out.
Personally, don’t recommend to use it by the little reliability that gives us the author and simply because it is an ominous Gallery app. Instead, you can use the same Google Photos or Focus. If you’re not going to use Candy Gallery, it is a good idea the disable.
Via | Android Police
Xataka Android | Goodbye to the bloatware: how to delete pre-installed applications of your Android mobile
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The news Some mobile Alcatel receive a suspicious app as a replacement to your gallery was originally published in Xataka Android by Ivan Ramirez.
Xataka Android
Phoneia.com (January 30, 2018). Some mobile Alcatel receive a suspicious app as a replacement to your gallery. Recovered from https://phoneia.com/en/some-mobile-alcatel-receive-a-suspicious-app-as-a-replacement-to-your-gallery/