Bought an android box that i had a discount for.. it seems shady

by braineaters138

I got asked to review an android box on amazon, so this chinese guy shipped me one for essentially the cost of shipping ($8). I'm a little concerned about it potentially having a virus/malware. Has anyone heard of this happening? The most recent security update was May 2017 and when i tried to update it says there are no new ones. Also, there was an app installed called superuser, which i assume gives root access to the box? And lastly, the box had unknown sources enabled already.

Oh and to add to more shady shit, the seller no longer has their listings on Amazon.ca. They're all gone, and the seller account seems gone as well. I msg the user on facebook, but he hasn't respond yet. I told him i need the link for the listing, so I can give a proper review.

Old listing: https://imgur.com/a/jLTQC

Maybe I'm being paranoid, i'm not sure. But I figure i'd play it safe anyway. It was connected to the internet shortly, until I got suspicious.

Any suggestions/feedback?

pofcorn

Daily reminder that an Android TV box is NOT the same as Android TV. Put it in the trash where it belongs.

BiggussDikkuss

That device will make a great LibreELEC Kodi Krypton Box where you run LibreELEC Kodi entirely from a external microSDHC card:

https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread/9319-8-1-9-libreelec-8-2-for-s905-s905x/

AMLogic Android 7.1 these days is generally OK. Its a mobile touchscreen OS and not as easy to use as actual Android TV boxes like the Shield and Mi Box.

macdaddyb

Android boxes have been under a lot of legal scrutiny lately due to their primary use of Kodi with add ons pre installed to stream inappropriate material. Possibly the seller has been strong armed into ending sales of the device.

It's a custom software build most likely, that may be why the unknown sources are enabled.

The custom software builds they use are dependent on the designers to get security updates. They rarely get updated, if at all.

It's odd that superuser is pre installed but most of these Android boxes are unlocked and easily rootable intentionally.

You could check the individual app permissions for anything unusual. Beyond that, any app you install from the play store that doesn't require root permissions to run should be as safe as the play store testing allows.

I have an Android box and an Android TV, while I agree that the Android TV interface is superior, the Android boxes can be quite useful due to their ability to run nearly any Android app.

It's unlikely that there's any malware. the issues you describe are fairly standard for these devices, but only trust it as far as you trust the manufacturer.

gungaegorgian

Delete this post ASAP

ashhong

I thought Amazon blocked the sales of these? That might be why it's no longer on Amazon.

I think the box overall is safe, nothing to worry about. But of course, there's no real way to know. If it were me, I'd probably use it

badmuunratua

U got fucked in your asshole. Never buy an android box. Uhhh!!