[panpanna]

I don't think you have really used Android lately.

1. Google has added API to access resources without getting full unconditional access

2. They are enforcing use of correct APIs on their store

3. Most of the system is now updated from the store. This is significantly faster than any of their competitors

4. Most vendors are now providing timely security updates. Some even have an Enterprise program with 4-5 years of updates.

[surak]

I use it every day. Regarding P1, if an app ask for permission access to e.g. images or location, and you use the app, how would you limit what the app can send home or even review it? See discussion in the other comments if you're not an Andriod developer.

[vetinari]

Since Android v1, it offers APIs (intents) for picking items belonging to other apps or doing an action on behalf of other apps.

Applications do not need access to gallery; they can ask the gallery to let the user pick the pictures he wants to work with; the app does not need the access to camera, it can ask the default camera app to let the user make the photo and get the result. The app does not need access to telephony; it can ask dialer to dial a number on it's behalf. Etc, etc.

The developers didn't use these APIs because users were asking for iOS style integrations, where any apps does everything for itself, instead of using system components. So they got it.