App Permissions on Android & How to Control Them - AVG

Storage: Allows apps to read and write to your internal or external storage. The good: A music app can save downloaded songs to your SD card, or ... Security Malware Viruses Ransomware Threats SecurityTips Internet Scams Phishing IoT AVGNews SeeallSecurityarticles Privacy Browser VPN IPAddress Hackers Passwords SocialMedia PrivacyTips SeeallPrivacyarticles Performance Cleaning Speed Gaming Hardware PerformanceTips SeeallPerformancearticles English English Español Deutsch Français Nederlands Italiano Português AVGSignalBlog Privacy PrivacyTips AppPermissionsonAndroid&HowtoControlThem PrivacyTips AppPermissionsonAndroid&HowtoControlThem FeelingunsureaboutAndroidapppermissions?It’srighttobecautious,astheycangivethird-partyappsintimateaccesstoyourprivateinfo.Butsomeappsrequirepermissionsinordertofunctionproperly.Readontolearnwhichapppermissionstoavoid,whichtoallow,andhowtogetcontrolofyourpersonaldataonAndroid. Copyarticlelink Linkcopied WhatareAndroidapppermissions? Androidapppermissionscangiveappscontrolofyourphoneandaccesstoyourcamera,microphone,privatemessages,conversations,photos,andmore.Apppermissionrequestspopupthefirsttimeanappneedsaccesstosensitivehardwareordataonyourphoneortabletandareusuallyprivacy-related. Thisarticlecontains: Thisarticlecontains: Thisarticlecontains: AnytimeyouinstallanappfromGooglePlay,you’lllikelyseeanapppermissionrequest.Ifyouinstallacameraapp,forexample,itwillneedyourpermissiontoaccessyourdevice’scamerabeforeitcanactuallytakephotos. Otherpermissionscanincludemonitoringyourlocation,savingdata,sendingandreceivingcallsandtexts,readingsensitivelogdata,oraccessingyourcontacts,calendar,orbrowsinghistory. AtypicalAndroidapppermissionsrequestlookslikethis: ThefamiliarAndroidapppermissionsrequest. BeforeFacebookMessengercanaccessyourtextmessages,forexample,youneedtoapproveordenythepermissionrequest. WhatistheAndroidpermissionscontroller? TheAndroidpermissionscontrollerisapartoftheAndroidoperatingsystemthattellsappswhattheycanandcan’taccess.Whenyouinstallanewapp,theAndroidpermissionscontrolleriswhatgivesyoutheoptiontoallowordenypermissionsforthatapp. Androidapppermissionstoavoid Youshouldavoidapppermissionsthataren’tnecessaryforanapptowork.Iftheappshouldn’tneedaccesstosomething—likeyourcameraorlocation—don’tallowit.Consideryourprivacywhendecidingwhethertoavoidoracceptanapppermissionrequest. Androidsystempermissionsaredividedbetween“normal”and“dangerous”permissions.Androidallows“normal”permissions—suchasgivingappsaccesstotheinternet—bydefault.That’sbecausenormalpermissionsshouldn’tposearisktoyourprivacyoryourdevice’sfunctionality. It’sthe“dangerous”permissionsthatAndroidrequiresyourpermissiontouse.These“dangerous”permissionsincludeaccesstoyourcallinghistory,privatemessages,location,camera,microphone,andmore.Thesepermissionsarenotinherentlydangerous,buthavethepotentialformisuse.That’swhyAndroidgivesyoutheopportunitytoacceptorrefusethem. Someappsneedthesepermissions.Inthosecases,checkthatanappissafebeforeyouinstallit,andmakesuretheappcomesfromareputabledeveloper. Howtotellifanapppermissionisdangerous Androidclassifiespermissionsas“dangerous”iftheymightaffectyourprivacy,thefunctionalityofotherapps,oryourdevice’soperation.Watchoutforappsthatrequestaccesstoatleastoneoftheseninepermissiongroups: Bodysensors Calendar Camera Contacts GPSlocation Microphone Calling Texting Storage HowtochangeAndroidapppermissions YoucanmanageAndroidapppermissionsbycheckingwhichonesyoucurrentlyhaveallowedandmodifyingthemifnecessary.YoucanalsocheckAndroidapppermissionsintheGooglePlaystorebeforeyoudownloadanapp.HerearefourwaystochangeyourapppermissionsonAndroid. Checkanapp’spermissionsbeforeinstallingit Maintainstrictprivacystandardsbyreviewinganapp’spermissionsbeforeyouinstallit.Here’showtocheckAndroidapppermissionsintheGooglePlaystore: OpenGooglePlayandfindtheappyou’reinterestedin. ScrolldownandtapAboutthisapp. ScrolldowntothebottomandtapApppermissions. Hereyoucanseeallthepermissionstheappwillrequest. Fromhere,youcandecidewhetheryoutrusttheappdeveloperandfeelcomfortablewiththeappusingthesepermissions.ChoosingtouseonlyappswithappropriatepermissionsisagreatwaytocontrolAndroidapppermissionsrightfromthestart. Seeallpermissionsusedbyaspecificapp Concernedaboutwhataparticularappcanaccessonyourphone?Here’showtomanagepermissionsonaspecificapp: OpenSettingsandchooseApps&notifications. Findandselecttheappyouwanttocheckpermissionsfor. TapPermissions. Nowyoucanseealltheapp’spermissions.Tochangeaspecificpermission,tapit. Hereyoucandeleteanypermissionsyouaren’tcomfortablewith. Appsdorequiresomepermissionstoworkproperly.IfyoudenyGoogleMapsaccesstoyourlocation,itcan’tgiveyoudirectionsandalsowon’tbeabletopersonalizeyourmapsearchesbasedonyourlocation. Hereyoucanalsochoosetoallowpermissionsallthetime,onlywhentheappisinuse,oronlyifyouallowiteachtime. Seeallappsthatuseaspecificpermission Ifyou’drathertakealookattheAndroidapppermissionslistandchoosesomethingspecific—likeaccesstoyourlocationorcontacts—andthenviewallappsthathavethataccess,thiscanhelpyougetcontrolofyourprivacyonAndroid. Here’showtoaccesstheapppermissionslisttoseeallappsthatuseaspecificpermission: OpenSettingsandtapApps&notifications. TapPermissionmanagertoopentheAndroidpermissioncontrollerapp. Clickaspecificpermissionfromtheapppermissionslistthatyou’reinterestedin,likelocation. Hereyou’llseeappsthathaveaccesstoyourlocationallthetimeoronlywhileinuse.Toremoveaccess,tapaparticularapp. ManagetheAndroidapp’spermissionsbychoosingitslevelofaccesshere. Useasecuritytooltoseeapppermissions AneasywaytomanageyourAndroidapppermissionsistouseasecuritytooltohelpwiththeprocess.NotonlydoesAVGAntiVirusforAndroidhelpyoutakecontrolofyourAndroidapppermissions,italsoprotectsyourphoneagainstmalware,theft,andunsafeWi-Finetworks.  Here’showtouseAVGAntiVirustoseeapppermissions: DownloadandinstallAVGAntiVirusFREEforAndroid. InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor PC, iOS, Mac InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor Mac, iOS, PC InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor PC, Mac, iOS InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor iOS, Mac, PC Allowthenecessarypermissions—weneedaccesstoyourdevicefoldersandappssowecanproperlyprotectthem. Clickthehamburgermenuinthetopleft. ScrolldownandtapAppInsights. SelectthePermissionscategory.Hereyou’llseeallyourhigh-permissionapps,alongwithaverageandlow-permissionapps.Tapaspecificapptogetmoreinfoonitspermissions. Hereyoucanseewhichpermissionsmightbeconcerningfromaprivacystandpoint.Youcanalsoeasilyuninstalltheapporgetmoreinfo. Additionally,youcanreviewyourapps’datausageandscreentimeforvaluableinsightsintoyourdigitalhabits.You’llalsoenjoyongoingprotectionagainstunsafeWi-Finetworks,passwordleaks,andmalicioussoftware. Permissionstolookoutfor Becarefulaboutappsrequiringpermissionsthatmaycompromiseyourprivacy.Youshouldbeespeciallywaryofanappthatrequestsapermissionthatdoesn’tseemnecessaryforwhattheappdoes. Androiddefinesninegroupsof“dangerous”permissions.Eachofthesedangerouspermissiongroupscontainsmultiplepermissions,andapprovingonepermissionwithinagroupalsoapprovestheotherpermissionsinthatsamegroup.Forexample,ifyouallowanapptoseewho’scallingyou,you’llalsoallowittomakephonecalls. HerearethedangerousAndroidapppermissions,explained: Bodysensorsapppermissions BodySensors:Allowsaccesstoyourhealthdatafromheart-ratemonitors,fitnesstrackers,andotherexternalsensors. Thegood:Fitnessappsneedthispermissiontoprovidehealthtips,monitoryourheartratewhileyouexercise,andsoon. Thebad:Amaliciousappcouldspyonyourhealthdata. Calendarapppermissions Calendar:Allowsappstoread,create,edit,ordeleteyourcalendarevents. Thegood:Calendarappsneedthispermissiontocreatecalendarevents,andsodosocialnetworkingappsthatletyouaddeventsandinvitationstoyourcalendar. Thebad:AmaliciousAndroidappcanspyonyourpersonalroutines,meetingtimes,andevents—andevendeletethemfromyourcalendar. Cameraapppermissions Camera:Allowsappstouseyourcameratotakephotosandrecordvideos. Thegood:Cameraappsneedthispermissionsoyoucantakepictures. Thebad:Amaliciousappcansecretlyturnonyourcameraandrecordwhat’sgoingonaroundyou. Contactsapppermissions Contacts:Allowsappstoread,create,oredityourcontactlist,andaccessthelistsofallaccounts(Facebook,Instagram,Twitter,andothers)usedonyourdevice. Thegood:Acommunicationappcanusethistohelpyoueasilytextorcallotherpeopleonyourcontactlist. Thebad:Amaliciousappcanstealallyourcontactsandthentargetyourfriendsandfamilywithspam,phishingscams,etc. Locationapppermissions Location—Allowsappstoaccessyourapproximatelocation(usingcellularbasestationsandWi-Fihotspots)andexactlocation(usingGPS). Thegood:Navigationappshelpyougetaround,cameraappscangeo-tagyourphotossoyouknowwheretheyweretaken,andshoppingappscanestimateyouraddressfordelivery. Thebad:Amaliciousappcansecretlytrackyourlocationtobuildaprofileonyourdailyhabitsanddigitalbreadcrumbs,orevenletdangeroushackersorthievesknowwhenyou’renotathome. Microphoneapppermissions Microphone:Allowsappstouseyourmicrophonetorecordaudio. Thegood:AmusicrecognitionapplikeShazamusesthistolistentoanymusicyouwanttoidentify;acommunicationappusesthistoletyousendvoicemessagestoyourfriends. Thebad:Amaliciousappcansecretlyrecordwhat’sgoingonaroundyou,includingprivatetalkswithyourfamily,conversationswithyourdoctor,andconfidentialbusinessmeetings. Phoneapppermissions Phone:Allowsappstoknowyourphonenumber,currentcellularnetworkinformation,andongoingcallstatus.Appscanalsomakeandendcalls,seewho’scallingyou,readandedityourcallinglogs,addvoicemail,useVoIP,andevenredirectcallstoothernumbers. Thegood:Communicationappscanusethistoletyoucallyourfriends. Thebad:Amaliciousappcouldbespywarethatcaneavesdroponyourphonehabitsandmakecallswithoutyourconsent(includingpaidcalls). SMSapppermissions SMS:Allowsappstoread,receive,andsendSMSmessages,aswellasreceiveWAPpushmessagesandMMSmessages. Thegood:Communicationappscanusethistoletyoumessageyourfriends. Thebad:Amaliciousappcanspyonyourmessages,useyourphonetospamothers(includingsmishingscams),andevensubscribeyoutounwantedpaidservices. Storageapppermissions Storage:Allowsappstoreadandwritetoyourinternalorexternalstorage. Thegood:AmusicappcansavedownloadedsongstoyourSDcard,orasocialnetworkingappcansaveyourfriends’photostoyourphone. Thebad:Amaliciousappcansecretlyread,change,anddeleteanyofyoursaveddocuments,music,photos,andotherfiles. Themostdangerouspermissiontypes Inadditiontothepermissionsabove,Androidalsohasadministratorprivilegesandrootprivileges—themostdangerouspermissiontypes.Youdefinitelydon’twantanymaliciousappsaccessingthesesuper-permissionsonyourdevice. WhileGooglevetsappsbeforeallowingthemintotheirmarketplace,sometimesmaliciousappssneakintothePlayStore.Googleworksquicklytocorrecttheirmistakesandremovethem,butsometimestheappsgetdownloadedhundredsoreventhousandsoftimesfirst. Whataredeviceadministratorprivileges? Deviceadministratorprivileges(sometimescalledadminrights)letappsmodifyyoursystemsettings,changeyourdevicepassword,lockyourphone,orevenpermanentlywipealldatafromyourdevice.Maliciousappscanusetheseprivilegesagainstyou,butthey’realsoimportantforsomelegitimateapps.  Forexample,securityappswithadminprivilegesaredifficulttouninstall,whichhelpsstopthievesandhackersfromremovingthemfromyourphone.OurfreeAVGAntiVirusappusesdeviceadministratorprivilegestoletyouremotelylockorwipeyourdeviceifit’severlostorstolen. Whatarerootprivileges? Rootprivileges(sometimescalledrootaccess)arethemostdangerousapppermissions.Anyappwithrootprivilegescandowhateveritwants—regardlessofwhichpermissionsyou’vealreadyblockedorenabled.Maliciousappswithsuperuserprivilegescanwreakhavoconyourphone.Thankfully,Androidblocksrootprivilegesbydefault.  Butmalwaremakersarealwayslookingforsneakywaystogetrootprivileges.That’sanotherreasonwhyhavingastrongAndroidsecurityapptodefendyourphoneissoimportant. All-or-nothingpermissions InearlierversionsofAndroid,acceptingpotentiallydangerouspermissiongroupswasanall-or-nothingaffair.Youeitherallowedallpermissionsrequestedbyanapp—beforeinstallation—oryoudeclinedthemall,whichmeantyoucouldn’tinstalltheapp.  Sketchyappdeveloperscouldabusethissystemtosneakinpermissionsthatwentbeyondthescopeoftheirapp—suchascalendarappsthatrequestedaccessnotonlytoyourcalendar,butalsotoyourmicrophone. Thankfully,thatmostlychangedwiththereleaseofAndroid6.0(theso-calledMarshmallowupdate)backinOctober2015.NowAndroidallowsyoutodecidewhichpermissionstoacceptonacase-by-casebasis—aftertheappisinstalled. Androidapppermissionstoallow AllowAndroidapppermissionsthatappslegitimatelyneed.GoogleMapscan’tgivedirectionswithoutyourlocation,andZoomcan’tconnectyoutoavideomeetingwithoutaccessingyourmicrophoneandcamera.ButmakesuretoassessAndroidappsforsafetybeforeinstallingthem. Howtotellifanapppermissionisnormal Totellifanapppermissionisnormal,readthepermissioncarefullyandusecommonsensetodeterminewhetherit’sareasonablerequest.Doesasocialmediaappreallyneedaccesstoyourlocation?Perhapssomefeatureswon’tworkwithoutit.Butit'suptoyoutofindtherightbalancebetweenprivacyandusability. Apppermissionsaredesignedtoprotectyou.Theymightseemannoyingatfirst,butyouneedtoapprovethemonlyonceperapp—unlessyouconfigureappstoaskeachtime—andit’swellworthittocarefullyreadandconsiderthesepop-upsbeforegivingaccess. WhyamIgettingtworequestsforthesamepermission? Youmightsometimesseetwoback-to-backnotificationsforthesameapppermission.Thisisbecausethefirstnotificationisfromtheappitself,explainingwhyitneedsthepermission.ThesecondnotificationisfromAndroidandisagenericrequestforthepermission.Onlythissecondrequestactuallyallowsorrejectsthepermission. SecureyourphonewithAVGAntiVirusforAndroid Whetherit’smanagingyourAndroidapppermissionswitheaseordefendingyourphoneagainstreal-lifetheft,AVGAntiVirusforAndroidistheretoprotectyourdevice.Getreal-timeprotectionagainstmalware,boostspeedbykillingtasksthatslowdownyourdevice,andreceivealertsifyourpasswordseverleak. InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor PC, iOS, Mac InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor Mac, iOS, PC InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor PC, Mac, iOS InstallfreeAVGAntiVirus Getitfor iOS, Mac, PC by NicaLatto&ClaytonWeeks on July26,2021 Updatedon September20,2021 ANDROID MOBILE GOOGLE Copyarticlelink Linkcopied ProtectYourAndroidPhone InstallfreeAVGAntiVirusforAndroidtoblockmalware,protectyourdata,andgetreal-timeprotectionforyourphone. Freeinstall Getitfor PC, iOS, Mac ProtectYourAndroidPhone InstallfreeAVGAntiVirusforAndroidtoblockmalware,protectyourdata,andgetreal-timeprotectionforyourphone. Freeinstall Getitfor Mac, iOS, PC ProtectYourAndroidPhone InstallfreeAVGAntiVirusforAndroidtoblockmalware,protectyourdata,andgetreal-timeprotectionforyourphone. Freeinstall Getitfor PC, Mac, iOS ProtectYourAndroidPhone InstallfreeAVGAntiVirusforAndroidtoblockmalware,protectyourdata,andgetreal-timeprotectionforyourphone. Freeinstall Getitfor iOS, Mac, PC TheLatestPrivacyArticles WhatAreInternetCookies? HowtoClearCacheandCookiesonYourBrowser FirefoxPop-Ups:HowtoBlockandHowtoAllowThem HowtoClearYourSearchandBrowserHistory TheBestBrowsersforSecurityandPrivacyin2022 HowtoBlockorAllowPop-UpsinChrome HowtoRemoveExtensions(Add-ons)fromFirefox HowtoManageandRemoveChromeExtensions HowtoAlloworBlockPop-UpsinSafari BestChromeExtensionsforSecurityandPrivacy HowtoSpeedUpChrome,Firefox,andIE WhatIsAdTracking? AreCookiesBad?Goodvs.BadCookies 5QuickTipsForaSaferBrowsingExperience TheCatchintheCache:WhyCleaningYourBrowserMakesItSafer ChromeBatteryLifevsEdge,FirefoxandOpera VPNKillSwitch:WhatIsItandHowDoesItWork? HowtoSetUpaVPNonMac TheBestVPNServerCountriestoConnectThrough HowtoUnblockWebsites&AccessRestrictedContent ShouldIuseaVPNforgaming? WhatIsISPThrottling?WhyItHappens&HowtoStopIt DoINeedaVPN? HowtoStopEndlessBufferingNow WhatIsaProxyServerandHowDoesItWork? HowtoWatchTVShowsandEpisodesOnline TheUltimateGuidetoVirtualPrivateNetworks(VPN) WhatIsDataEncryptionandHowDoesitWork? HowtoSetUpaVPNonWindows ShouldIUseaVPN,Proxy,orTor? HowtoSetUpandUseaVPNoniPhoneorAndroid SmartDNSProxyvsVPN.What’stheDifference?AndWhichShouldYouChoose? WhatIsTCP/IP? PrivateIPvsPublicIP:What’stheDifference? WhatIstheDifferenceBetweenIPv4andIPv6? WhatIsanIPAddress? FindYourIPAddressonWindowsorMac ThreeWaystoHideYourIPAddress HowtoTellIfYou’veBeenHacked HowtoTellIfYourEmailHasBeenHacked&HowtoRecoverIt TheMostDangerous&FamousHackersToday SignsYourPhoneHasBeenHacked WhatIsRouterHackingandHowtoPreventIt WhatIsHacking?EverythingYouNeedtoKnow TheNastyTruthofDataBreaches HowtoPreventYourCarFromBeingHacked HowtoProtectYourPrivateDocumentsWithSensitiveDataShield EquifaxHack:HowtoProtectYourIdentity,CreditCards,andMore 3ReasonstoNeverUseFingerprintLocksonPhones HaveYouEverChattedWithaHackerWithinaVirus? ThomsonDataBreachExposesPassengerDetails PasswordCrackingTechniquesHackersUseandHowtoAvoidThem HowtoRecoverandResetYourLostWindowsPassword PasswordIdeas:HowtoCreateaStrongPassword HowtoChoosetheBestPasswordManager WhatIsTwo-FactorAuthentication(2FA)? HowtoPasswordProtectExcelFiles,WordDocs,PowerPoints WhyYouShouldUseaPasswordManager FacebookLeak:CheckifYourDataisPartofTheBreach Don'tLetYourOldSocialMediaAccountsComeBacktoHauntYou HowtoStaySaneonSocialMediaintheCOVID-19Age AreYouanOnlineOversharer? IsFacebookListeningtoOurPrivateConversations? HowtoStaySafeonTwitter:TheUltimateGuide IsItSafetoSigninwithFacebookorGoogle? TopFacebookScamsYouNeedtoKnowAboutsignal_face TheMostSecureMessagingApps HowtoHideAppsonAndroid DarkWebScans:WhenandWhytoUseOne HowtoDownloadYourGoogleDatawithGoogleTakeout WhatDoesGoogleDoWithMyData...andShouldIBeWorried? DataBrokers:WhoTheyAreandHowTheyWork ContactTracingAppsandTheirPrivacyConcerns HowtoHideAppsonaniPhoneoriPad TheProsandConsofVideoChatApps IsYourSmartphoneTrackingYou? TheUsesandAbusesofFacialRecognition ThePrivacyImplicationsofDNATesting 5StepstoStopRobocalls:TheUltimateGuidetoBeatingtheBots ADayinYourDigitalLife…andtheTrailYouLeave 4WaystoAvoidSpam EndWebcamSpyingforGood SpyGame:TheDangersofWebcamHackingandHowtoAvoidThem Windows10Privacy:EverythingYouNeedtoKnowtoKeepWindows10fromSpyingonYou TheTruthBehindtheWebcamCover-Up Morehelpfultips... TheMostSecureMessagingApps TheMostSecureMessagingApps HowtoHideAppsonAndroid HowtoHideAppsonAndroid DarkWebScans:WhenandWhytoUseOne DarkWebScans:WhenandWhytoUseOne HowtoDownloadYourGoogleDatawithGoogleTakeout HowtoDownloadYourGoogleDatawithGoogleTakeout Blockhackersandgetreal-timeprotectionwithAVGMobileSecurity Freeinstall BlockmalwareandprotectyourdatawithAVGAntiVirusforAndroid Freeinstall AboutAVG Profile MediaCenter Policies ContactUs HomeProducts FreeAntivirus Download InternetSecurity AndroidAntivirus FreeMacAntivirus SecureVPN TuneUp Virus Scanning&MalwareRemoval InstallationFiles BetaDownloads CustomerArea Anti-TheftLogin HomeProductSupport Security&PerformanceTips OnlineResearch Partners&Business BusinessAntivirus Software PartnerSupport BusinessSupport Affiliates ConnectwithAVG Facebook Twitter YouTube Blog Privacy|Cookies|Allthirdpartytrademarksarethe propertyoftheirrespectiveowners. ©1988-2021CopyrightAvastSoftwares.r.o. LogintoAVGMyAccount Weusecookiesandsimilartechnologiestorecognizeyourrepeatvisitsandpreferences,tomeasuretheeffectivenessofcampaigns,andimproveourwebsites.Forsettingsandmoreinformationaboutcookies,viewourCookiePolicy.Byclicking“Iaccept”onthisbannerorusingoursite,youconsenttotheuseofcookies. I ACCEPT