Change app permissions on your Android phone (2024)

FAQs

Change app permissions on your Android phone? ›

You should avoid app permissions that aren't necessary for an app to work. If the app shouldn't need access to something — like your camera or location — don't allow it. Consider your privacy when deciding whether to avoid or accept an app permission request.

You should avoid app permissions that aren't necessary for an app to work. If the app shouldn't need access to something — like your camera or location — don't allow it. Consider your privacy when deciding whether to avoid or accept an app permission request.

You can manage permissions for your installed apps at any time from the main Settings screen in Android. Tap Apps, then choose an app. (If you don't see the complete list, click See all.) Select Permissions to see all the permissions the app wants.

Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security. Select an App permission (for example, Location) then choose which apps can access it.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > see all apps > select three dots > Reset app preferences. Then reboot. This will not delete your apps data but you will have to provide permissions again for all apps.

Overview. By default, an Android app starts with zero permissions granted to it. When the app needs to use any of the protected features of the device (sending network requests, accessing the camera, sending an SMS, etc) it must obtain the appropriate permission from the user to do so.

For apps requesting access to the All files access permission, intended and permitted use includes file managers, backup and restore apps, anti-virus apps, and document management apps. Apps granted access to this permission may not extend its use to undisclosed or invalid purposes.

What is modify system settings? ›

To appease power users by giving apps like Tasker more capabilities, there's a permission called "Modify System Settings" that can be granted. If an app has this permission, it can change Android options like your screen timeout duration. Understandably, this permission has the potential to be abused.

Well-maintained modern apps will continue to function even if you deny them some or even all permissions. Although features that require permissions, such as your location, obviously won't work once denied. If you try to use a feature requiring a denied permission, you'll see the popup appear again.

Auto-reset permissions from unused apps

This action has the same effect as if the user viewed a permission in system settings and changed your app's access level to Deny. If your app follows best practices for requesting permissions at runtime, you shouldn't need to make any changes to your app.

You should give unrestricted data access to essential apps like WhatsApp, Gmail, Slack, and other work apps so that you never miss a single important alert from such apps. Open the Data Saver menu in Android Settings (check the steps above). Select Unrestricted data.

Normal permissions are lower-risk permissions (such as SET_WALLPAPER ) that grant requesting apps access to isolated app-level features with minimal risk to other apps, the system, or the user.

Google Play Protect checks your apps and devices for harmful behavior. It runs a safety check on apps from the Google Play Store before you download them. It checks your device for potentially harmful apps from other sources. These harmful apps are sometimes called malware.