I initially thought this was going to be some rogue app that looks like a game, fart machine or something innocuous but behind the scenes sends your text messages to the developer. That would definitely be unfortunate and is a risk. Although if a fart machine app asks for access to your text messages and that doesn't cause you alarm, that's a separate issue.
This is more of an issue of identity / authentication. The phone doesn't have any way of knowing that the "you" which installs the app isn't the "you" that is the primary user of the phone. The phone tries - it offers you a swipe code lock, you can even install other locking systems.
Imagine if the app was not described as a marital eavesdropping tool but rather as a way to help you keep a record of your text messages that you can view via your account from your computer. It doesn't install an icon because there is no on-phone UI and the icon would just clutter the apps menu, a convenient feature to be sure. Same app, different story. The Google Voice app has a very similar idea.
This is more of an issue of identity / authentication. The phone doesn't have any way of knowing that the "you" which installs the app isn't the "you" that is the primary user of the phone. The phone tries - it offers you a swipe code lock, you can even install other locking systems.
Imagine if the app was not described as a marital eavesdropping tool but rather as a way to help you keep a record of your text messages that you can view via your account from your computer. It doesn't install an icon because there is no on-phone UI and the icon would just clutter the apps menu, a convenient feature to be sure. Same app, different story. The Google Voice app has a very similar idea.
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