Android’s reputation as a platform that doesn’t care about users ’privacy is obsolete – if you use a modern Android smartphone, you have a lot of control over which app can access your data and in what contexts. With new privacy features, you can give an app access to your location for a limited time, for example. If you haven’t thought about app permissions for a long time or are inclined to give it the permission you want, you should do a privacy permissions audit.
Thanks to Google’s drive to improve privacy controls, most modern Android smartphones include a dedicated Permission Manager (starting with Android 12, called the Privacy Panel), which gives you a unique where you can choose which apps can access things like your call logs. , camera, microphone, location, contacts, files, physical activity and more.
Open the “Settings” app on your Android smartphone and go to Privacy> Permission Manager (or Privacy Panel). Different manufacturers may use different phrases for this. If you can’t find the options, look for “permissions” in the Settings app.
You will see a list of all available permissions. Check the list and see if there is anything out of the ordinary. For example, Facebook asks for constant access to your location or an obscure app that looks at your call logs. Choose the app and switch to “Do not allow”. Note that some features require these permissions to work: if you go back to the app and notice that something you like isn’t working, consider allowing the permission again.
If you do not want to block the application, you can also adjust the permissions. For example, users with Android 10 and later can choose to share their location with an app only when it’s running. And if you’re using Android 11 or later, you can grant an app temporary access to things like your location, microphone, or camera. Android 12 takes it even further by giving only an approximate location so that no app can find your exact location (of course, you shouldn’t use this setting for something like Google Maps or a shared travel app).
Now that you understand how permissions work in newer versions of Android, review the list of apps and revoke access as you see fit (and, if you’re using Android 11, make use of the new temporary permission features).