My Verizon app is updated with new permissions, giving the carrier information about your phone

If you're a Verizon subscriber, you probably are quite familiar with the My Verizon app. Using the app's widget, you can have a good idea about how much of that sweet, sweet data you've consumed for the month to date. You can also make payments through the app and monitor your account. For many a Verizon customer, the My Verizon app does come in handy.

Well, the Android version of the app received an update on Tuesday, and while it merely updated the splash screen and exterminated a few bugs, there were some troubling things that Verizon did with the permissions. The new permissions ask to send and receive SMS messages, begin Bluetooth pairing, read your battery stats, and receive a list of all of the apps running on your phone. If this all makes you a bit concerned about what Verizon has up its sleeve, you can always refuse to accept the update.

The SMS permission might be a tip off that the carrier is working on a way for subscribers to send text messages to Verizon directly from the app. The list of apps could be added with the battery stats to gain information to better serve  Verizon customers. Perhaps Verizon is looking for a combination of apps that has affected performance of the battery life on its subscriber's handsets. Or the carrier could be looking for a particular app that is a battery hog. Verizon hasn't yet offered an explanation for the new permissions, and the decision whether or not to accept them are ultimately yours.

source: MyVerizon via AndroidCentral