The Untold Wisdom on The Value of Android App Permissions

Having most mobile phones as smartphones allows us to expect that apps dominate most of our usage in our devices today. That’s why we must be well aware of the type of data that apps are getting from us. Permission requests are present to protect sensitive data available from a device and must only be used when accessing information is necessary for the functioning of your app.

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What we’re sharing here are tips & points on ways to achieve better functionality without requiring access to such data as well as managing or handling permissions.

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Principles or tenets in dealing with Android Permissions

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• Require or utilize permissions that are only important for your app to work. Depending on how you’re going to utilize the permissions, there might be other means to acquire such data as backgrounding for calls or system intents without accessing sensitive information.
• Be attentive to permissions required by libraries. When you include a library, you’re also able to get its permission requirements. Pay attention to what you're including in your permissions as well as how they’re utilized.
• Observe clarity & transparency. In requesting permissions, state clearly what you’re accessing & why so that users can make informed decisions. Present this information along with the permission request to install, run-time, or update permission dialogues.
• Make a straightforward system access. Continuously indicate when you must gain access to sensitive capabilities such as the camera or microphone to tell the users when you’re gathering data. This is also to avoid getting the perception of unnecessary data collection.

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Now that we’ve taken a look at things from a developer’s perspective, the following are some valuable points for consumers on how to handle and manage app permissions.

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How do We Define App Permissions?

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Android app permissions are essentially declarations & not requests. Not unless you’re rooted, you can't say whether or not to install the app or receive all the permissions it requires. Upon installation of an app from the Play Store, you’ll get a pop-up list of all the permissions that the app requires - such as access to your storage, phone calls, network communication, etc.

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It’s quite easy to skip over these permissions but it could mean the difference between having your data securely on your device or having it all at the fingertips of corrupt app developers.

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There Are Five Permissions That You Must Take Special Precaution

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You must think twice about giving these permissions not because they’re necessarily dangerous but because there could be a wide-ranging consequence if data will fall into the wrong hands.

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• Location - Two types of location permissions that Android applications can require: “approximate location (network-based)” and “precise location (GPS and network-based)”. Essentially, applications that implement location-based advertising will also need access to such information - one of the many sacrifices you have to make when using a free, ad-supported app.
• Phone Status And Identity - This is a permission with lots of concerns because “read phone status and identity” encompasses everything from the basics like knowing when a phone call is coming in, to having access to essentially important data such as your device’s IMEI number.
• Read And Modify Your Contact - Permission to “Modify your contacts, read your contacts” gives an app an enormous access to your contacts’ data. While both can be full of concerns, the “modify” permission is especially dangerous since it would let an app read all the contact information you have on your phone, including how often you communicate with particular contacts.
• SMS And MMS-Related Permissions - These could potentially cost you tons of money if malicious apps use these permissions to send illegitimate SMSes or add on extra charges onto each SMS and MMS you send.
• Account-Related Permissions - “Find accounts on the device” enables the app to check with Android’s built-in Account Manager on whether you have other accounts on services like Google, Facebook, etc.

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“Use accounts on the device” allows the app to ask for permission to use the account. Once this is granted, the app won’t have to request it again; the concern here comes if the app is malicious & continues to do things in the background in your name.

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Managing App Permissions

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Letting apps gain access to any of your accounts, such as Facebook or Google, requires you to go to your account settings to manage & deal with your account permissions. You may also check what permissions certain apps have by going into Settings > Apps then select an app and scroll down to see the permissions it contains.

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In Summary

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It’s undeniable that Android’s privacy & security settings are a bit lacking - such as occasionally having confusing permission names, as well as an inability to selectively grant permissions, this is indeed something that Android should work on.

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Yet even with these issues, it’s still entirely possible to stay on top of things and ensure the security of your information by staying vigilant on the apps you install and the permissions that these apps require. After all, it’s your data on your phone that you have control on.

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To learn more about messaging, app permissions & phone verification, come visit our site at foneapi.com or leave your comments down below & we’ll get back to you for further details.

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