Windows 10: What is the Microsoft "App Connector" and why would it want/need access to my camera?

Solution 1:

Based on my general knowledge on how Windows 10 Universal Applications work I have no reason to doubt the following explanation by Maury Szwerdszarf. While I could have generated my own answer, from the actual SDK documentation, my existing knowledge on the subject is good enough to determine these two existing explanations are accurate.

App Connector is W10's way to give programmers an easy way to interface with other Microsoft cloud-based services (Azure), MSN-based applications; or other application-based sites over the Internet.

Why would they need access to my location, camera, files, etc.? Not every program that calls App Connector will need or receive access to every one of those permissions, but each one will need access to at least one of them -- or it wouldn't need to call App Connector.

But, if you're worried about these apps invading your privacy, that's why there's a whole Settings menu for Privacy and the various types of privacy elements on your system. When an app registers itself to use App Connector to hit the Internet or use other such things, it will show up as a toggle that you can choose to permit or not. As for Windows Shell Experience, it's merely a simplified way to program how to use the User Interface elements, that are a bit more complicated than in prior versions of Windows.

Basically...As PostScript5 explains:

The App Connector is Microsoft middleware for Microsoft and third parties to connect and use in their application.

• The App Connector provides internet (cloud) access to your system.

• The App Connector provides access to:

  • picturesLibrary
  • videosLibrary
  • removableStorage
  • appointments
  • contacts
  • phoneCall
  • webcam
  • location
• The App Connector provides the access(es) to the calling application and is secured by security settings somewhere in Windows 10.
• The user may or may not be prompted during the application installation about these settings (not stated in your summary).
• The App Connector can provide access to the calling application: one, many, or all of the user assets listed above.
• The App Connector can not determine if excess permissions are being requested.