Android App Permissions Explained: Which Ones Should You Allow?

Every time you install a new app, Android asks a few questions: Allow access to your camera? Your location? Your contacts? Most people tap “Allow” just to get past the pop-up. That is understandable, but permissions decide what an app can actually see and do on your phone. A few seconds of thought here protects your photos, your messages and your location.

This guide explains the common Android permissions in plain language, when they make sense, and how to change them later.

Why Android asks for permissions at all

Android keeps every app in its own sandbox. An app cannot read your photos, listen through the microphone or know where you are unless you give it permission. Since Android 6, the most sensitive permissions are asked at the moment the app needs them, not only at install time — so you can judge each request in context.

The golden rule: does the feature need it?

Before you allow anything, ask one question: does what I am trying to do right now really need this?

• A camera app asking for the camera — yes, obviously.
• A GPS stamp camera asking for location — yes, that is the whole feature.
• A calculator or a flashlight asking for your contacts — no. Deny it.

If a request does not match the feature, deny it. A well-made app keeps working and simply disables the one feature that needed that permission.

Common permissions, one by one

Camera

Needed by camera, scanner, QR-code and video-call apps. Android shows a green dot in the top corner whenever the camera is in use, so you can always tell when an app is using it.

Microphone

Needed for voice recording, video recording with sound, voice search and calls. If a game or wallpaper app asks for the microphone, be suspicious. The same green indicator appears when the microphone is active.

Location

Location comes in two flavours, and you choose:

• Precise — exact GPS position. Needed for navigation, geo-tagged photos and delivery tracking.
• Approximate — roughly your area or city. Enough for weather, news and most local content.

You also choose when: Only this time, While using the app, or (for a few apps) All the time. For almost every app, “While using the app” is the right choice. Very few apps genuinely need location in the background.

Photos, videos and files

Newer Android versions let you share only selected photos instead of your whole gallery. If you just want to edit one picture, pick “Select photos” and share only that one. Apps that only save a photo they created usually need no gallery permission at all.

Contacts, call logs and SMS

These are among the most sensitive permissions. Only dialers, messaging apps and genuine contact-backup tools should need them. Google Play heavily restricts SMS and call-log access, so a random app asking for them is a red flag.

Notifications

From Android 13, apps must ask before sending notifications. Allow them for things you care about — reminders, messages, deliveries — and deny them for apps that just want to send you promotions.

How to check and change permissions

You can change your mind any time:

1. Open Settings → Apps and choose the app.
2. Tap Permissions.
3. Pick any permission and choose Allow, Ask every time, or Don’t allow.

To see it the other way round — which apps can use your camera or location — look for Permission manager under Settings → Security & privacy → Privacy. Menu names vary a little between phone brands; if you cannot find it, search “permission” in the Settings search bar.

On recent Android versions the Privacy dashboard shows which apps used your location, camera or microphone in the last 24 hours. It is worth a look once in a while.

Let Android clean up for you

Android can automatically remove permissions from apps you have not opened for a few months. Open an app’s settings and make sure “Pause app activity if unused” (or “Remove permissions if app isn’t used”) is on. Old apps you forgot about then lose access on their own.

Quick checklist

What we do at Viyalix

At Viyalix Technologies we follow a simple rule in every app we build: ask only for what the feature needs, and only when you use that feature. Each of our apps has its own clear privacy policy explaining exactly why each permission is used. You can see the kinds of apps we build on our What We Build page.

Have a question about an app’s permissions? Write to us — we are happy to help.