Increasingly, when you install a game or app on Android, you have to grant different permissions so that they can at least run. Of course, in the middle of these programs, you should be a little fearful in passing your information so easily to a weird developer.
If you are wanting to test an application, but are unsure that you may have problems and do not want to grant access to your data, one solution is to have the application run in a sandbox. Here’s how to test apps on Android without them having access to your data.
How a sandbox works
The Sandbox concept is basically the same as a virtual machine. In it, for example, when installing an application, it will find that it is being run on another machine, not having access to the data and other files of the original device.
This type of function is not exactly new, existing in PCs some time ago. In fact, Windows 10 itself should get a native function for this soon.
How to run applications in a sandbox on Android
This type of function is not native to Android and therefore it is necessary to get a program to have a sandbox in the system. Check out how to do:
- Go to Google Play and download the Shelter application ;
- When you open the application for the first time, it will prompt you for permission to be a system administrator. Touch “Enable” and “Continue”;
- Depending on the brand of your phone, you may need to activate a new profile type. In our case, using a Samsung device, it was requested to create a work profile;
- Touch the Shelter tab and enter the Google Play Store;
- At this time, you must create a new account for Google Play. The official cellphone store, outside the Shelter, will not be affected by this change;
- Once the process is finished, simply download an application normally through Google Play opened inside the Shelter, that the program in question will be installed without having access to the original data of the device;
- To open it, simply go back to the Shelter, select the application and use the “Launch” function.
In addition to installing the applications in the way mentioned above, you can also clone apps already installed on the device or use an APK. So, you already know how to test an Android application without having to expose yourself.
If you need help, have doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below and we will try to help you as soon as possible!