Build variants

Network Survey comes in two versions with different features and privacy characteristics.

Quick comparison

Feature	Regular (Play Store)	CDR (F-Droid/IzzyOnDroid/GitHub)
Cellular survey	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi survey	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth survey	Yes	Yes
GNSS survey	Yes	Yes
Log files (CSV)	Yes	Yes
MQTT and gRPC streams	Yes	Yes
NS Analytics	Yes	Yes
Call records: call events and tower changes	Yes	Yes
Call records: other party’s number (READ_CALL_LOG)	No	Yes
Call records: SMS and MMS events (READ_SMS)	No	Yes
Call records: this phone’s number (READ_PHONE_NUMBERS)	Yes	Yes
Firebase Analytics	Enabled	Not included
Firebase Crashlytics	Enabled	Not included
Automatic updates	Via Play Store	Via F-Droid/IzzyOnDroid

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Regular version (Google Play Store)

Best for: Most users who want easy installation and updates

Features

• All core survey functionality
• Call records for call events and tower changes (the Survey tab tile reads “Calls, tower changes”)
• MQTT and gRPC streams
• Log files (CSV)
• NS Analytics

Limitations

• No SMS or MMS events in Call records: Google Play policy restriction (READ_SMS not permitted)
• No other party’s number on calls in Call records: Google Play policy restriction (READ_CALL_LOG not permitted)
• Includes Firebase: Crashlytics crash reporting and Firebase Analytics. The app logs no analytics events of its own; Settings > Device IDs shows the Firebase App instance ID in this build only.

This phone’s own number can be written to Call records in both versions through the optional READ_PHONE_NUMBERS permission.

Installation

• Google Play Store
• Automatic updates
• Easy installation

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CDR version (F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid, GitHub)

Best for: Privacy-focused users or those needing full Call records

Features

• Full Call records, including SMS and MMS events (the Survey tab tile reads “Calls, texts, tower changes”)
• The other party’s number on calls in Call records
• No Firebase: no analytics or crash reporting
• All standard survey features

Installation sources

F-Droid (Recommended for privacy):

• F-Droid Repository
• Fully open-source build
• Automatic updates via F-Droid app

IzzyOnDroid:

• IzzyOnDroid Repository
• F-Droid-compatible

GitHub Releases:

• Download APK
• Each release has one APK per processor type, for example networksurvey-<version>-cdr-arm64-v8a-release.apk, plus a -universal- APK that runs on all of them. Most current phones use arm64-v8a.
• The regular (Google Play) build is attached too, as networksurvey-<version>-regular-...-release.apk
• Manual updates required

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Why two versions?

Google Play policy restriction:

Google Play prohibits apps from requesting SMS and call-log permissions unless they are registered SMS or dialer apps. Network Survey doesn’t make calls or send SMS; it only logs the time and the other party’s number as a survey event.

Solution: Offer a separate CDR version outside of Google Play for users who need full Call records.

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Which version should I choose?

Choose the regular (Play Store) version if

• You want the easiest installation
• You prefer automatic updates
• You don’t need SMS and MMS events in Call records
• You’re okay with Firebase analytics

Choose the CDR version if

• You need SMS and MMS events in Call records
• You want complete privacy (no Firebase)
• You need the other-party phone numbers logged on calls
• You prefer open-source app stores

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Building your own

You can build either version from source:

Regular version:

./gradlew assembleRegularDebug
./gradlew installRegularDebug

CDR version:

./gradlew assembleCdrDebug
./gradlew installCdrDebug

See the installation guide for full instructions.

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Related

• Installation - How to install each version
• APK verification - Verify APK authenticity
• Privacy policy - Data collection differences
• Required permissions - Permission differences
• Call records - What Call records contain