As soon as we use the mobile, it is normal that it will soon be filled with dozens of applications, including those that come installed as standard. If the user makes intensive use of his Android terminal, things get complicated, and he may have hundreds of applications installed, each with its appropriate permissions. Controlling these permissions is essential , and it depends a lot on us.
Permissions is an element that can affect our privacy and security. Security experts and Google itself put some automatic tools to control this aspect. By downloading an application from Google Play we will be able to see the information or the functions to which it has access (that is, the permissions).
Control permissions
In this sense, it is very common for an application to need permissions to see the location and contacts of your device, or access to read or delete files. We can have under control these permissions to which each application has access, once it is installed on our device.
Before installing the applications
When we go to download an application from Google Play, the vast majority will request permissions to function correctly and to be able to offer all its functionalities. These permissions can be very varied, but all of them should be in accordance with the use that we are going to give to the application. That is, it does not make sense and it can even be suspicious, for example, an offline game requires access to our camera if it is not used in any game function. The permissions that applications require include permissions to:
- Body sensors
- Calendar
- Camera
- Contacts
- Location
- Microphone
- Phone
- Text messages
- Storage
In old versions of Android, the user could review these permissions, and decide whether or not to install the application based on what they considered appropriate or not. In Android versions starting with Android 6.0 Marshwallow, we can choose which permissions to accept or not when we start the application.
Check permissions
Ideally, check these permissions before installing. To do this, we go to the application within Google Play, and then we move to where it says “Developer” Once inside we can tap on “Permissions” to see those that the app will use when it is installed and run it on our mobile . When we use an application for the first time, we may allow or deny individual permission requests before the application uses this type of data.
With apps installed
It can also happen that the applications that we already have installed, update their permissions in successive updates. In this sense, they can change, so we may not agree with those changes. It is an old trick even used by malware, which is installed in the form of a harmless app with light permissions, but it is updated requesting permission to access the camera, contacts, location, etc… It is not necessary to accept the permissions again when these updates take place, but if the app has been updated and added a new permission, we will be asked for access when we start the app again.
Enable or disable permissions
The good news is that we can change the permissions that applications can access at any time. By disabling permissions, we may not be able to use some features of the apps. In order to change them we will have to go to Settings / Applications and Notifications. Then we tap on the app that we need to modify and tap on “Permissions”. Now we will choose the permissions that we want to grant or revoke from said app.
For example, we may use WhatsApp every day, but never make a video call . In that case, we may want to revoke access to the camera to WhatsApp in order to be more suspicious of our privacy. However, we will have to reactivate this permission if we ever need to make a video call or send a photo as an attachment when we take it directly from the camera app.
Permissions in all apps
Likewise, we can take a look at all the applications that we have installed on the mobile and that have access to permissions. For this we go to Settings / Applications and notifications / Advanced / Application permissions. Then we tap on permissions and choose which apps can access that specific permission.
Practical tips
As always, the applications and their permissions are part of an installation that comes from our decision and action . Therefore, it is very important that we are aware of the basic aspects to take into account before installing an app on our mobile.
Download from reliable sources
This is the first aspect to consider. There are plenty of links, alternative bazaars , and dubious sites that offer free apps, or modified versions of paid apps. On many occasions, we will be putting our privacy at risk, since the permissions of these apps have been modified or altered. By not going through the Google Play filter, we may be installing malicious software or an app specialized in collecting personal data.
Comments and punctuation
It is important to review the comments and rating of any application before proceeding with its installation. Also it is to do it again after a software update , since it can put us on the track about changes in permissions, problems that arise etc …
Non-associated permissions
You have to assess what purpose an application has and the permissions it claims. And even this does not guarantee that there can be no holes in our privacy. That is why we will only have to install those essential applications.
