One of the oft-cited downsides of buying a US carrier-branded phone is the pre-installed apps, also lovingly known as bloatware, that can come with the device. And soon, it looks like Verizon Android phones will come with a new pre-installed app.
Evie, makers of the Evie Launcher for Android, is teaming up with Verizon to create AppFlash. AppFlash will be located to the left of your home screen, offering listings for restaurants, movies, music, and apps. It’ll also show your frequently used apps and suggested apps.
Up at the top of AppFlash lives a search bar so that you can quickly search for an app and launch it.
The big deal here is that AppFlash will collect your data while you’re using it. Specifically, AppFlash’s privacy policy says that it’ll collect your phone number, device identifiers, your operating system, your contact information and location (with permission), and details on the features and services you use and how you use them.
The privacy policy goes on to say that information gathered by AppFlash “may be shared within the Verizon family of companies, including companies like AOL who may use it to help provide more relevant advertising within the AppFlash experiences and in other places, including non-Verizon sites, services, and devices.”
The good news is that it seems like Verizon may be easing up on its original AppFlash plans. TechCrunch was told that the app would be rolled out across Verizon Android phones over the coming weeks, but now Verizon has told Engadget that AppFlash will initially only be tested on a single phone — the LG K20 V — and that users will have to opt-in to use it. The app can also be disabled if you don’t want it.
The amount of data that AppFlash can collect about users is kind of crazy, so it’s good to hear that for now, Verizon is making the app opt-in and is only testing it on a single device rather than rolling it out across its Android lineup. This is still an app worth monitoring to learn how Verizon’s test goes and the carrier’s future plans for it, so stay tuned.