Sonic 4: Episode 1 Finally Arrives on Android Platforms

Today, much to Android users delight, SEGA announced via their twitter and blog that Sonic 4: Episode 1, was finally arriving to Android devices today. For the cheap low price of $3.99. Thankfully, there wasn’t another post asking folks to tally this purchase with other Episode 1 console and handheld purchases.

One thing to take in mind before you purchase, which our friends over at TSSZ have picked up on, is that S4E1 somehow has it’s permissions to access your phone number. Where they write:

But before you download, there is one thing you should consider, especially if you value your privacy. According to the game’s Android page under “Permissions,” the application will have access to your phone number, and potentially know who you’re calling:

READ PHONE STATE AND IDENTITY
Allows the application to access the phone features of the device. An application with this permission can determine the phone number and serial number of this phone, whether a call is active, the number that call is connected to and the like.

Two other Sega titles on the marketplace, ChuChu Rocket! and Sonic CD, do not utilize these type of permissions. Another one, Fallen Realms, does. It’s not clear why Sega needed it for this game, or if such access will even be utilized to the company’s marketing advantage, which is likely why this type of data would be collected. We will work to find answers on the matter and bring you anything more that we learn.

Source: SEGA Blog, TSSZ.