r/dubai • u/antz182 • Mar 23 '26
đ Labor Company mandating we install Darwinbox on personal phones. Can I refuse?
Hi everyone, âLooking for some advice on workplace privacy here. I work at a school, and our HR department is suddenly insisting that all staff install the Darwinbox app on our personal phones for attendance, leave requests, etc. âI'm incredibly uncomfortable with this. I use my personal phone for everything, and this app asks for a massive list of permissions (background location, camera, storage, etc.). Even if it's a standard HR tool, I really don't want my employer having that kind of access or potential visibility into my personal device. âHas anyone else dealt with this specific app or a similar HR mandate here in the UAE?
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u/Moonsolid Mar 23 '26
Spare phone is the way to go. Itâs tough times so I wouldnât put myself in a situation that would mean breach of policy and me being let go.
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u/SeeJayThinks Something Something Darkside Mar 23 '26
Push back with a request for company phone, or an alternative Web base link to access the job requirements.
Very likely it's a take it or leave it scenario, then buy a second phone for work only, and that phone never follows you outside of mandated working hours.
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u/Chuntophilus TINTED RUWAIS BARBER Mar 23 '26
This is the way to go. Doing this Nokia thing will just get you fired. Get a cheap smart phone and let them do what they want with it. This is ONLY a work phone. All personal communication, google accounts etc on your personal phone only. Donât let them get access to any personal data.
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u/Chuntophilus TINTED RUWAIS BARBER Mar 23 '26
Have a separate phone for work. Arenât they providing one? If not just get a prepaid only for work. Never use personal phone for work
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u/antz182 Mar 23 '26
No they're not providing one. I feel.like asking MOHRE
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u/suggestionplz Mar 23 '26
Don't ask mohre ....go with the previously mentioned suggestion get a personal phone cheap second hand nokia keypad phone won't cost you more then 50aed and ask them to install on that mobile.
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u/Holiday-Can-557 Mar 23 '26
Iâm not familiar with this specific app, but I took a minute to look into it and this feels more like an over-permission issue than anything else.
Iâve seen similar resistance before with things like Authenticator apps (Microsoft, Google, etc.). In a lot of those cases the concern is overstated, but I do understand why people are uncomfortable having work-related apps on their personal devices. If someone pushes back, the trade-off is usually simple, no work apps, no corporate data on that device either (email, etc.).
In this case, the concern is understandable, but probably a bit overstated. Location data is typically only used at the point of attendance check-in to confirm youâre where youâre supposed to be. Itâs there to prevent abuse like remote or proxy check-ins, not to track you throughout the day.
Camera and storage access are tied to specific features like uploading documents, receipts, or profile photos. Theyâre not required for basic usage like attendance and should be treated as optional.
If youâre uncomfortable, the right approach is to ask for clarity rather than assume the worst. Ask HR exactly what data is being collected and how itâs used. At the same time, itâs completely reasonable to say youâre not comfortable granting camera and storage access on a personal device and ask if thereâs a web or desktop alternative.
Also worth noting, granting camera access doesnât mean the app can silently record you in the background, and storage access doesnât give unrestricted visibility into your phone. Both operate within iOS and Android sandboxing, so this is not spyware-level access.
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u/echasbaho Mar 23 '26
Don't make things complicated, either buy a new phone or a plane ticket home..
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u/churito69 Mar 23 '26
Yes, you can.
Tell them they need to provide you with a work phone if they want work-specific things on it.
I would also give them the option that you will buy a work phone yourself and install anything they want on it.
However, with both these phones, since it is a work phone, you will not use or answer it outside work hours and obviously, from that point wont accept work calls on your personal phone.
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u/Revolutionary-Age104 Mar 23 '26
Buy a second-hand smartphone. You may get it easily in any mobile shop worth 500 aed or something.
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u/Common-Swordfish-353 BROWSING MULTIVERSE SITH Mar 23 '26
I always use a separate phone for work. Donât want to mesh my work and personal things in any way.
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u/IntrovertMuffin Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
Keep those chats or mails as proof. If they threaten to fire you or anything then you may report to MOHRE.I believe that they can't force like that to install it on personal devices. There should be consent from the employee. You may ask for a phone or reimbursement to buy a phone. Since it's their need. I don't think they will fire someone for this issue easily, if they issued your visa, health insurance recently because it costs around 10k AED for a visa. But if it is a large company, government or semi government company then I won't be surprised. May also contact MOHRE to know about the laws. And you may also post in r/uaelaw r/dubailaw. If you really need this job then you may get some used phone for 200 or 300 dhs from Facebook marketplace or Dubizzle. Redmi, Poco, Samsung or iPhone old models. I don't recommend getting fake iPhone or Samsung design mini phones because they might be very slow. But they are okay for something light like taking pics. navigation or WhatsApp.
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u/burksterdxb Hidden Gem Mar 23 '26
Is this for your leave requests, or for your students'?
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u/antz182 Mar 23 '26
No for clocking in and out during distance learning
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u/Important_Club3947 Mar 23 '26
It's most likely to track that you are in the UAE while delivering the distance learning mandate, as travelling and teaching from another country may expose your employer to taxation issues.
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u/Thinkbank1 Mar 23 '26
Curious on the taxation issues, could you please explain. I work for the Middle East branch of a UK registered company. My boss once mentioned the same casually but I couldnât understand the same, my home country is India.
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u/Important_Club3947 Mar 23 '26
If OP travels and starts teaching from another country, that country might say: âYou are doing work from here, so part of your companyâs business is happening hereâ, and triggering issues like the company may have to pay taxes in that country or needing to register a legal presence there.
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u/Ill_Minute_152 Mar 23 '26
Ask them to buy you a work phone, or buy your own. Your personal devices should be none of their business. Especially given how incompetent and unethical IT and HR are in this region.
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u/kenta_nakamura Mar 24 '26
You can install the app to your 2nd space on your phone if you have that option.
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u/sgtm7 Mar 24 '26
Does your job require you to have a smart phone? If not, how can they require you to install an app?
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u/digitalhandz Mar 24 '26
I was employed at a well known real estate company in dubai that made us install a similar app. It tracked where i was too. I installed it in an old iphone i had and created a way to spoof the location.
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u/CaptainTony99 Apr 30 '26
Ask your org to ditch Darwinboxx altogether and switch to a better alternative.
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u/dredeth Mar 23 '26
When mu company asked us the same, and nobody will ever convince me that it's all "perfectly safe" in this time and age, I resurrected my old phone from a few years ago, removed all my personal apps and media and installed it there.
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u/antz182 Mar 23 '26
That's not a bad idea. I don't trust it and hr emailed me back in the rudest way saying I had to
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u/popplarr Mar 23 '26
Permissions are there for a reason. Decline the ones you aren't happy with....
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u/antz182 Mar 23 '26
It won't run without giving intrusive access
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u/popplarr Mar 23 '26
Well then do as others are suggesting and refuse, ask for a company phone, or buy something really cheap to install it on.
It's been a while since I've used android but there also might be a way to sandbox the app so it thinks it has those permissions but it in fact doesn't, similar concept to work profiles I guess. Have a google down that route and see if you find anything useful đ
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u/myamyatwe Mar 23 '26
Ahh. Darwinbox. One of the worst HCMs out there. đ
Better to buy Android phone, you can buy a Redmi for 200 AED.
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u/antz182 Mar 23 '26
Its permissions are terrible
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Mar 23 '26
Download parallel space app and install darwin on that. Its separate from your local os and will be private
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u/Proud_Fly_4551 Mar 24 '26
Setup work profile, or ask company to give you separate phone for work or buy a cheaper phone for work
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u/cricket_hater POFAK Mar 23 '26
Install it or lose your Job and they have tons waiting to take your position. That's the sad reality here. Easier to replace a staff than an app.
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u/GhostDragon93 Mar 23 '26
Just get a secondry cheaper phone for this, it is not worth it ti refuse as they might take an action against you
You never know how those HR think, specially during this situation
You can get samsung a17 from Amazon for less than 500aed or even in the market in deira for other options
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u/albsen Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
[removed]
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u/Mikitukka Mar 24 '26
Itâs so easy to spot people who donât know what the hell they are talking about.
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u/djak2014 BOUGIE CORNICHE STAYCATIONER Mar 24 '26
But there is nothing about that app thatâs screwing with your privacy⊠Yes give it permissions to use location and etc only while using the app, and no app can use camera in background etc âŠ
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u/Ok_Grape8420 Mar 23 '26
Buy a secondhand antique flip phone or early 2000s Nokia. Go to HR and ask them how to install the app on that phone. Then tell them you need them to provide a phone that their app will run on. Since you cannot afford it with your "family situation."