What do permissions mean

When you install a new app, the Android permissions controller is what gives you the option to allow or deny permissions for that app. Consider your privacy when deciding whether to avoid or accept an app permission request. These permissions are not inherently dangerous, but have the potential for misuse. Some apps need these permissions. In those cases, check that an app is safe before you install it, and make sure the app comes from a reputable developer. Watch out for apps that request access to at least one of these nine permission groups :.

You can manage Android app permissions by checking which ones you currently have allowed and modifying them if necessary. You can also check Android app permissions in the Google Play store before you download an app. Here are four ways to change your app permissions on Android. From here, you can decide whether you trust the app developer and feel comfortable with the app using these permissions. Choosing to use only apps with appropriate permissions is a great way to control Android app permissions right from the start.

Concerned about what a particular app can access on your phone? Apps do require some permissions to work properly. Here you can also choose to allow permissions all the time, only when the app is in use, or only if you allow it each time. To remove access, tap a particular app. An easy way to manage your Android app permissions is to use a security tool to help with the process. Not only does AVG AntiVirus for Android help you take control of your Android app permissions, it also protects your phone against malware, theft, and unsafe Wi-Fi networks.

Allow the necessary permissions — we need access to your device folders and apps so we can properly protect them. Select the Permissions category. Tap a specific app to get more info on its permissions. Here you can see which permissions might be concerning from a privacy standpoint.

You can also easily uninstall the app or get more info. Be careful about apps requiring permissions that may compromise your privacy. Each of these dangerous permission groups contains multiple permissions, and approving one permission within a group also approves the other permissions in that same group.

Body Sensors: Allows access to your health data from heart-rate monitors, fitness trackers, and other external sensors. The good: Fitness apps need this permission to provide health tips, monitor your heart rate while you exercise, and so on. The good: Calendar apps need this permission to create calendar events, and so do social networking apps that let you add events and invitations to your calendar.

The bad: A malicious Android app can spy on your personal routines, meeting times, and events — and even delete them from your calendar. Contacts: Allows apps to read, create, or edit your contact list, and access the lists of all accounts Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others used on your device. The good: A communication app can use this to help you easily text or call other people on your contact list. The bad: A malicious app can steal all your contacts and then target your friends and family with spam , phishing scams , etc.

Location — Allows apps to access your approximate location using cellular base stations and Wi-Fi hotspots and exact location using GPS. The good: Navigation apps help you get around, camera apps can geo-tag your photos so you know where they were taken, and shopping apps can estimate your address for delivery.

When each file is created, the system assigns some default permissions that work most of the time. For instance, it gives you both read and write permission, but most of the world has only read permission. If you have a reason to be paranoid, you can set things up so that other people have no permissions at all. Additionally, most utilities know how to assign permissions. For instance, when the compiler creates an executable program, it automatically assigns executable permission.

Permissions have different meanings for a directory:. Assign both, or neither. Note that, if you allow people to add files to a directory, you are also letting them remove files. The two privileges go together when you assign write permission. See Section 7.

These are special files devices , sockets, symbolic links, and so forth—each type observing its own rules regarding permissions. Now, who gets these permissions?

To allow people to work together, Unix has three levels of permission: owner, group, and other. The idea behind having groups is to give a set of users, like a team of programmers, access to a file.

For instance, a programmer creating source code may reserve write permission to herself, but allow members of her group to have read access through a group permission. You think your source code is that good? As the name suggests, permissions govern what an app is allowed to do and access. Granting permission allows the app to use the feature.

Denying access prevents it from doing so. Simple enough. Apps cannot automatically grant themselves permissions, these have to be confirmed by the user via an on-screen prompt. This will also reoccur on startup if you deny permissions or if an app is updated to require new permissions. See also: The best security apps for Android. Well-maintained modern apps will continue to function even if you deny them some or even all permissions.

There are often no problems with denying app permissions you feel uncomfortable with, they can always be changed at a later date.

There are two convenient ways to view permissions, either by sorting apps by permissions or by viewing each app individually. The first place to start for either method is to head into the Android Settings menu.

You can adjust these permissions by clicking on them. If you prefer an overview of all the apps granted a specific permission, such as those that can record from your microphone for example, then you can sort apps by this criteria too. Head back into Settings and find the Privacy tab. From here, you can browse through all of the available permissions on your phone, as well as a quick overview of how many apps have been granted each permission.

Clicking on any of the permissions will display just the apps that have requested this particular feature. You can make changes here too, by clicking on the app then picking allow or deny access for individual apps see the gallery above.

Denying permissions is one of the best ways to keep your phone and data safe from malicious applications. No doubt many of these apps were requesting access for data collection purposes and perhaps worse.

You might not want to use certain features tied to data extraction, either for diagnostic or advertising purposes.