# Amazon's music player wants to spy on your phone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2016, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239 "2016-10-31T09:41:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/1 "2016-10-31T09:41:12Z")
I bought a single song from amazon on my phone. I might have bought it on my PC and transferred it to my phone; I don’t recall but probably not. But anyway, I wanted to listen to this one song I bought. I don’t keep other music on my phone, I have other devices for that. So it turns out that in order to listen to this one song, I have to use amazon’s phone-plays-a-song app. Okay, it’s free, no problem; but then when I go to install it, it says that the app will be recording _ **when I make a call, and to whom.** _ I can’t think of one reason, however outlandish, why a simple app to play one song (in my case) would ever have a legitimate need to know who I’m calling, and when. So I called Amazon, and the nice young lady told me that I should just do what she does – install the app, dubious permissions and all, and then disable that function. Well, without even getting into whether or not I believe that “disabling” this function will prevent it happening or not – why on earth would that app “need” that information? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/2 "2016-10-31T12:10:48Z")
All the major web companies are in the data collecting and selling business. The more they know about every little detail of your life, the better. Since the overwhelming majority of people are completely clueless about this, they just go ahead and install app after app that collects phone call records, contacts, browser history, etc. I’m not sure about Amazon’s player, but in general you aren’t allowed to disable this snooping (unless you’re somewhere consumer friendly like the EU). This is one reason rooting phones is popular. You can turn this stuff off (although sometimes it breaks apps for no fathonable legitimate reason). “If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold” -Andrew Lewis (And even if you _are_ paying for it.) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/3 "2016-10-31T12:53:19Z")
Is this specific to the Android version? The iOS version doesn’t do this (or at least doesn’t tell you it does). It only accesses your media library (which you can disable). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/4 "2016-10-31T13:21:39Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > So it turns out that in order to listen to this one song, I have to use amazon’s phone-plays-a-song app. Unless they’ve changed recently, the music that Amazon sells is standard, DRM-free mp3s. So you shouldn’t need their special app to listen to the song once the mp3 file is on your phone, just to stream or download it on your phone. I know that doesn’t answer your main question. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/5 "2016-10-31T14:26:53Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Unless they’ve changed recently, the music that Amazon sells is standard, DRM-free mp3s. That’s what I’ve found. Amazon will also let you download MP3s for any CDs you purchase from them, and so sometimes it’s cheaper to buy the CD than to buy just the digital download. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/6 "2016-10-31T14:56:12Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > I bought a single song from amazon on my phone. I might have bought it on my PC and transferred it to my phone; I don’t recall but probably not. > > But anyway, I wanted to listen to this one song I bought. I don’t keep other music on my phone, I have other devices for that. So it turns out that in order to listen to this one song, I have to use amazon’s phone-plays-a-song app. Okay, it’s free, no problem; but then when I go to install it, it says that the **app will be recording _when I make a call, and to whom._** I’m not sure where you’re seeing this (the highlighted bit). What version of the Amazon music app, on what phone OS? Looking at the [Amazon Music app page](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.mp3&hl=en) at the Google Play store, the “Phone” permission says simply “read phone status and identity”. Nothing about bugging your conversation, so you’re not getting that from any official enumeration of needed permissions. Assuming you just inflated “read phone status and identify” into “recording when I make a call, and to whom”, that would be a mistake. An actual phone-recording app has permissions like this: > [@Google Play permissions page for "Call Recorder - ACR app"](#): > > Phone > [ul] > [li]reroute outgoing calls[/li][li]read phone status and identity[/li][/ul]Microphone > [ul] > [li]record audio[/li][/ul] So, what is “read phone status and identity” for? In my experience, to pause music playback when the phone rings, or during an outgoing phone call. This is in common with other music apps on Android I’ve used, and matches my experience (starting a call or having the phone ring for an inbound call pauses the music, which would be impossible unless the music app were being told the status of the telephone subsystem). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/7 "2016-10-31T15:15:32Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That’s what I’ve found. Amazon will also let you download MP3s for any CDs you purchase from them, and so sometimes it’s cheaper to buy the CD than to buy just the digital download. Definitely, I found this last week. Wanted to by an MP3 album download on Amazon, it cost, $7.99. Then I noticed I could buy the CD for ~$4.50 which includes MP3 downloads. Guess I’m getting a CD. As far as OP’s question, I agree that the phone calls permission is probably needed to pause the audio when a phone call is active. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-music-player-wants-to-spy-on-your-phone/770239/8 "2016-11-01T09:49:44Z")
**gnoitall:** This was actually 2 or 3 months ago that it happened; I am 98% certain that it specifically said “Know when you’re making a call” and “Know who you’re calling.” They may well have changed the language due to others and myself taking issue with it. Between your explanation and **ftg’s,** it just about makes sense. I don’t like it, but I understand it. Thanks all.