Phone is not "safe": Security hole that Gabb won't fix
Have others found the security loophole that my family has found? It allows arbitrary searches of book advertisements (including pictures of erotic book covers) on the Google Play app. It's been more than 6 months since I brought it to Gabb's attention, and they refuse to fix it.
1) On the phone’s homescreen, select Google Play
2) Tap the gray circle to bring up the Settings
3) Select Library
4) Select Books
5) An error pops up saying that you need the latest version of the app to continue. Tap “See details”
6) This brings up the app screen for Google Play Books. Scroll down.
7) You get to a hero carousel of Featured Stories. Scroll to the right until you find the pink one. Tap on it.
8) Now you’re on a screen that says “Bring your books anywhere with e-reader apps.” Scroll down.
9) You get to a hero carousel of “More stories you might like.” Tap on the yellow one.
10) Now you’re on a screen that says “Find your next beach read with these bookish apps.” Scroll down.
11) Now you find “Dive into a beach read” with several book options. Tap any of them.
12) Now you are in a Google Books listing for that book. Tap the search icon.
13) You can now search on any text!!!!!
It has been exceedingly frustrating to me that I am paying for a supposedly "safe" phone that is actually not safe. It appears to me that Gabb locked down nearly all of the ways to execute searches in the Google Play app but they missed this one and refuse to fix it. Moreover, the phone does not allow you to delete the Google Play app. At this point, my only recourse is to publicize this bug in the hope that it will be fixed.
Comments
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Hello @matthewt,
First off, we're very sorry that you've been able to search for books, see their covers, and read their summaries/reviews using the Google Play Books in the Google Play Store. Our number one priority is providing families with safe tech. We've been investigating this flow you described and are working on a way to ensure that the Google Play Books area cannot be searched on going forward.
The reason the Google Play App is on our pro model devices (like our Gabb Phone 4 Pro) is because this allows parents to manage 3rd party apps as they desire. When using a Pro model Gabb phone on an Advanced Plan, parents can login to gabb.com/account and from the Gabb App Store, enable 3rd party apps as needed for their child. This Pro phone is our flex phone built for teens, allowing parents to grant some more flexibility as their child grows. For a more "locked down" device, our Gabb Phone 4 is our best phone for kids as it does not have any access to 3rd party apps, the Google Play Store etc. If you feel like this Pro model is not the best fit for your family and situation, we'd be happy to make sure you get taken care of to get the correct device for your needs!
We'll continue to investigate and solve for the Google Play Books situation that would allow for searching on titles. While the books cannot be fully downloaded and read, we fully understand the importance of the situation and take this very seriously. We will absolutely work to make it right. Thank you so much for your post.
-Gabb Product Team
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Hi. Thank you for approving my comment and then responding to it.
Are you saying that this problem would go away if I had the Gabb Phone 4 instead of the Gabb Phone 4 Pro?
Would my teen still be able to play MP3 files that I upload onto the phone for him? That's one of his favorite things to do. He uses the VLC app, which I think is native on the phone and not something installed via Google Play. We have never installed anything via Google Play.
If we can still use it to play MP3 files, then I would like to downgrade from the Gabb Phone 4 Pro to the Gabb Phone 4. In fact, I dearly wish someone would have mentioned this possibility to me in the dozen conversations over 7 months that I've had with Gabb support personnel.
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Hi @matthewt,
The Gabb Phone 4 Pro has additional features that may work for some families but are too much for others. Our Gabb Phone 4 is a great stepping stone for those who want more of a "locked down" phone. The Gabb Phone 4 does not have access to the Gabb Approved 3rd Party apps and would completely bypass your concern from above. The Gabb Phone 4 does not have the same VLC app but does have an Audio App which is similar.
Information on features included on the Gabb Phone 4 and Gabb Phone 4 Pro is readily available on our website (Gabb Phone 4 and Gabb Phone 4 Pro) and through our many Help Articles (Gabb Phone 4 User Guide and Gabb Phone 4 Pro User Guide)
If you would like to move forward with changing to the Gabb Phone 4, please contact Customer Support by chat at www.gabb.com, or by phone at 385.235.6646 Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m-6:30 p.m., MT or Saturday from 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. MT. We would be more than happy to assist.
-Gabb Product Team
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Downgrading from the Gabb Phone 4 Pro to the Gabb Phone 4 took me three-plus hours on the phone with Gabb personnel in order to get a manager's exception to something or other and then to set things to right with the new device after it arrived. I also had to extend our contract for another two years in order to make the change at no cost to me. However, it now does seem to meet our needs.
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