Digital Wellbeing vs Google

Privacy compared: the newest public version of each, scored by the same six rules. Digital Wellbeing scores 82 and Google 47, so Digital Wellbeing is 35 points ahead.

82of 100

Digital Wellbeingcom.google.android.apps.wellbeing

version 1.48.975819457.beta (880518) ahead by 35

47of 100

Googlecom.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

version 17.66.12.ve.arm64

Who is ahead on what

The longer bar is the better one on every axis; a score is the mean of its six axes. The arithmetic behind each is on the app's own card.

Axes: Digital Wellbeing leads on 5 axes, Google on none; 1 axis is level.
Trackers: Digital Wellbeing carries none, Google 1 tracker; fewer is better.
Dangerous permissions: Digital Wellbeing may ask for 4 permissions, Google for 15 permissions.

The six axes

Each axis is one short rule applied to both apps, with the one thing that decided its number underneath.

Security Digital Wellbeing +30

Digital Wellbeing 100 No security problem found.

Google 70 1 security problem found.

Tracking Digital Wellbeing +21

Digital Wellbeing 100 No tracking tools found; that does not prove there are none.

Google 79 1 tracking tool found.

Build hygiene Digital Wellbeing +15

Digital Wellbeing 69 The app passes 9 of 13 checks of how well it was built.

Google 54 The app passes 7 of 13 checks of how well it was built.

Packaging level

Digital Wellbeing 100 Unpacked, the base APK is 40 MB; 113 KB of it is unused files.

Google 100 Unpacked, the base APK is 263 MB; 628 KB of it is unused files.

Access Digital Wellbeing +43

Digital Wellbeing 44 Asks for 4 of 11 kinds of permission; 2 kinds of special access.

Google 1 Asks for 11 of 11 kinds of permission; 2 kinds of special access. It is 43 points below the bottom of the scale, so the total loses 7.2 more.

Background Digital Wellbeing +60

Digital Wellbeing 78 Runs no background service, but starts by itself after a restart.

Google 18 Runs 6 kinds of background service and starts by itself after a restart.

TrackersDigital Wellbeing 0 · Google 1

The advertising, analytics and attribution SDKs recognised in each app. What only one of them carries is what sets it apart.

Only in Digital Wellbeing

none

In both

none

Only in Google

Firebase Analytics

Dangerous permissionsDigital Wellbeing 4 · Google 15

The permissions Android asks the user about at run time: the camera, the microphone, the location, the contacts and the like. An app may need one for what it does; asking is not the same as using.

Only in Digital Wellbeing

none

In both

ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATIONACCESS_COARSE_LOCATIONACCESS_FINE_LOCATIONWRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

Only in Google

CAMERAREAD_CALENDARREAD_CALL_LOGREAD_CONTACTSREAD_EXTERNAL_STORAGEREAD_PHONE_STATEREAD_SMSRECORD_AUDIOSEND_SMSWRITE_CALENDARWRITE_CONTACTS

Where this comes from

Both are the apps' public cards: what anyone may know of an app, from its newest public version - one Google Play installed, and out in the world. Each card has the score's lines and the earlier versions: Digital Wellbeing, Google.