In today’s digital landscape, it’s essential to remain vigilant about the permissions granted to the apps on your Android device. A timely privacy audit can help ensure that your device’s sensitive features—such as location, camera, and microphone—are only accessible to trusted applications. Beyond these common permissions, there exists a category known as special permissions, which grants apps access to system-wide resources. This makes it all the more important to review these settings as well.
Android’s various types of app permissions
Android devices come equipped with a dedicated privacy dashboard that allows users to manage how applications access private data. This includes permissions for your camera, microphone, call logs, location, files, calendar, and contact list, among others. To review these permissions, navigate to Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Permission manager. Here, you will find a comprehensive list of apps and their respective permissions, with the option to modify them as necessary.
For apps that require access to your location, camera, or microphone, you can specify whether to allow access all the time, only while using the app, or not at all. Additionally, there is an option to require apps to ask for permission each time they are opened. However, special permissions warrant particular attention. These permissions enable apps to modify system settings, display over other applications, gather usage data, or access and alter any file or folder on your device.
While many of these permissions are essential for app functionality—such as the Display over other apps feature that allows one app to overlay its interface on another, or Picture-in-picture permissions that enable video playback while multitasking—it’s crucial to recognize that not all apps require such extensive access. Moreover, the potential for misuse exists; malicious apps could exploit these permissions to create screen overlays designed to capture sensitive information, such as login credentials.
Audit your special permissions on Android
When requesting special permissions, Android apps should do so in context, meaning they should ask for access only when you attempt to use a feature that necessitates it. Furthermore, they ought to provide a clear explanation of why the permission is required before directing you to your device’s system settings. However, if you have a habit of granting access without much thought, you may have inadvertently allowed apps more permissions than necessary.
Particular caution is warranted for apps downloaded from sources outside the Google Play Store, as these may pose greater risks. Even apps that have passed Google’s vetting process can sometimes harbor malicious intent. Special permissions are located in a different section of your device settings than the privacy dashboard, which means that regular audits of your apps’ privacy settings might not reveal these system-level permissions. To access them, go to Settings > Apps > Special app access (this may be found under a three-dot menu). From there, you can review which apps have been granted special permissions and disable access for those that do not require it.
