Android app for faking gps location for only certain apps?

Veraster

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TL;DR: I'm looking for an android app that fakes the gps location to certain apps only and not all of them.

My android phone is x86 based and is on Jelly Bean 4.1.2.
This means that PDroid can't be flashed to my rom. LBE Privacy Guard also doesn't work since it requires certain superuser ARM binaries or something that aren't available on my phone. It doesn't work.
The reason I need one of those apps is to deny location access to every app that doesn't legitimately deserve it. For example I am really uncomfortable with apps like facebook or angry birds having access to my location when they have absolutely no business doing so. This is very unsafe and unnecessary. It also kills the battery more quickly. I find the gps is in use about every other time I pick up my phone.
The only apps that should have permissions for this are navigation and weather. I'd rather not have to resort to keeping the gps off and turning it on only when I need it because that's a pain and the malicious apps can access it once I turn it back on anyway.
Apps like permissions denied will just deny the gps permissions and not fake it for the specified apps like LBE does. Unfortunately, facebook has security that makes it crash when this happens. So I got an idea. Maybe I could somehow find an app that fakes my location only to certain apps while allowing apps like weather and navigation to know my real location.
I've found apps that fake my location for ALL apps but I need something that fakes it for certain apps. Does anybody know of anything?
 
Well honestly you know what must be done. There is no way this will not be able to be done without Root access. Which is exactly what LBE is telling you, you don't have. you cant modify the GPS data for 1 app but not all without modifying the program from Root access. So you will have to Root the device in order to do what you want.

Could also just turn off GPS and Location data at all times and only turn it on when you need it. Much easier solution and saves battery...
 
Oh sorry I forgot to mention that my phone was rooted. I thought I did but I forgot to say that.
LBE says "Initiative defense failed to load. Click here to view". When I press that, it says "Please be sure your phone has ROOT granted authorization"
Note that this is the LBE Security Master. It's the version that's on XDA that has been decompiled, google-translated into English and recompiled. There is another version of the Play market called "LBE Privacy Guard" that is in English but it is an older version. When I try to use that on my phone, I get the same error message.

Also, making it so that these "spyware" apps don't have access to the gps saves almost as much battery as turning it off via the checkbox in settings. That's because a weather app doesn't constantly use the stupid gps like everything else that isn't supposed to does.
 
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You must not have done Root right. Cause I installed LBE and it operates just fine.

No disabling these apps from accessing GPS will not save as much battery as having it disabled at all times. Do you know the refresh rate of the weather app? Do you know the refresh of your location lock and GPS lock? It is far greater than you think and you will eat far more battery with it on at all times than turning it on when needed. Dont belive me, go read topics on XDA and you will see that BT and GPS being off are always the first 2 things said to save battery.

Still don't understand what the problem is with the apps you call spyware. I have yet to have Angry Birds use my GPS. Especially since it is off at all times. The app still operates just fine even without removing any permissions.

Did you even bother to contact the devs to find out why the permissions were required instead of jumping into the deep end of paranoia thinking it was all about spying on someone?

Either that or just don't install the apps. Don't like what they want to access, don't install it. Instead of going behind the developers back and modifying their app against their wishes.

So I went even further on this aspect for you. Well it doesn't work. I had LBE installed and even went as far as getting an app called Permissions Denied.

Now LBE does work.

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But the settings for denying apps just a specific function, isn't there. I checked all over the app. I could not bring up a list of apps and deny just a single permission.

Permissions Denied does have this. In fact you can select the specific thing you wish to deny such as Location Coarse or Fine.

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But the trick is this. It says you need Root, which I have. It needs BusyBox, which I have. It says it denied the rights and that after a reboot, the apps would no longer have the rights. Guess what happened after a reboot? All apps had all rights back. The app did nothing to deny any permissions. Good thing I got all that tested so I could get my $5 back as the app does nothing.

So I have tested 2 of the most commonly known apps that do this, neither works on Jelly Bean 4.1.2. After a reboot everything will be back the way it was.



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If I don't like the access an app requests, I just don't install it
and I have a large number of apps and features uninstalled or disabled on my phone (motorola razri) and tablets (nexus 7, zenithink c91)

I do think that by default users should have the ability to deny access during and after the install of any app, and this is something users need to keep feeding back to google, until they take the hint.
as it is very hard to try and do what you want without potentially causing issues for other apps, and maybe even the core operation of the OS
 
Without a doubt I agree that there should be a way. But without just turning off Location Services there is nothing. The 2 programs both say they are compatible with the version of Jelly Bean.

As you can see I personally tested 2 apps, 1 a paid app. Neither of which worked for the intended purpose. I cant really say much more other than they do not work as advertised.

But frankly the Devs are the ones who set the permissions for the apps and what they need. We either accept it and install it, or don't an live without the app. Nothing more to it.
 
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