This Android Setting Makes It Easier to Manage All Your App Permissions.
If you haven’t recently thought about which Android apps have access to your device’s location, camera, microphone, or other features, now is the time to conduct a privacy audit and ensure these permissions are up to date. Another type of permission allows apps to access system-wide resources, so while you’re at it, check those too.
Different types of app permissions on Android
Android devices have a dedicated privacy control panel that lets you control how apps access personal data, such as your camera, microphone, call logs, location, files, calendar, and contacts ( to name a few ). Go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Permission Manager to see all apps with these permissions and change them as needed. For apps with location, camera, and microphone permissions, you can choose to allow access always, only while using the app, or not at all. You can also force apps to ask for permission each time you open them.
But there’s another type of app permission, known as special permissions, which include the ability to change system settings, display and draw over other apps, collect usage data, and access and modify any files or folders on your device, among other things. In many cases, these permissions are useful or even essential to an app’s functionality. For example, the “Display over other apps” permission allows one app to display its user interface over another, which could include notifications or a pop-up for an incoming call. The “Picture in Picture” permission allows apps like YouTube or TikTok to continue playing while you’re using another app.
For legitimate apps, these permissions are generally not a problem, although not all apps require all these system permissions to function, and you might not want every app to have access to things like system settings and usage data. There are also cases where these permissions can be used for malicious purposes , such as by a screen overlay designed to steal your credentials or sensitive information collected from device and app notifications.
Check your special permissions on Android.
Android apps should request specific permissions contextually (i.e., only when attempting to use a feature that requires such access) and should clearly explain why permission is required before redirecting you to your device’s system settings. However, if you’re accustomed to granting access whenever it’s requested, you may have granted apps more permissions than they actually need without realizing it. As always, you should exercise particular caution regarding permissions requested by apps downloaded from outside the Google Play Store (although even apps verified and approved by Google can be malicious ).
Special permissions are located in a different section of your device’s settings than the Privacy Control Panel, so even if you regularly check your apps’ privacy settings, you may not notice these system permissions. Go to Settings > Apps > Special App Access (this section may be hidden behind the three-dot menu) and click on the permission type to see which apps have been granted access. You can then disable permissions for those apps that don’t really need them.