Clock
Samsung Clock ships with 1 verified tracker - Meta SDK - confirmed across 10 scans on 8 distinct devices. For a stock clock app bundling alarms, timers, and a world clock, that SDK is not an obvious fit. The permission list adds to the questions: alongside expected flags like RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED (needed for alarms to survive reboots), the app declares INTERNET access and a broad set of media read permissions covering images, audio, video, and media location. Static analysis shows what code is in the package; it cannot confirm whether Meta SDK is ever called at runtime or what data, if any, it transmits.
Read from the bytecode.
A clock app needs RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED so your alarms survive a restart - that is expected. INTERNET is less obvious: timers and alarms work offline, and world clock data could be bundled. The media permissions (images, audio, video, media location) may serve alarm tone or wallpaper pickers, but the breadth is worth noting. The Meta SDK has no self-evident role in a productivity clock; its presence does not prove data leaves your device, but it does mean Facebook-affiliated code is compiled into an app most users never chose to install.
This is static analysis of the APK bytecode installed on real devices: it proves which SDK classes and manifest permissions ship in the app, not what the app transmits at runtime. Traffic analysis is a different measurement.
Hidden inside the code.
What it asks for.
Allows full network access. Not an obvious requirement for alarms and timers, which work offline.
Lets the app draw over other apps. Expected for alarm popups that must appear on top of any screen.
Reads audio files from storage. Plausible for custom alarm tone selection, but combined with image and video access the scope is broad.
Reads image files. Could support background or widget customization, though this is not a core clock function.
Reads video files from storage. No obvious core use case in a clock or alarm app.
Reads location metadata embedded in media files. Combined with the other media permissions, adds geographic data access to the scope.
Keep reading.
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Similar risk profiles.
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