Every app you install asks for permissions, and most of us tap Allow without a second thought. Usually that is harmless, but some Android app permissions hand over far more power than a simple app needs, and granting the wrong one can expose your messages, your location, your files, and even your money. Knowing the app permissions you should never grant without a very good reason is one of the simplest ways to protect user privacy on Android. This guide walks through the riskiest permissions, why they matter, and how to take back the ones you have already given.
The golden rule is simple. A permission should match what the app actually does. A calculator has no reason to read your SMS messages, and a wallpaper app does not need your microphone.
A permission is your phone asking whether an app can access a sensitive part of your device, and the Android operating system sorts these android permissions into a few types of permissions. Most android apps request several of them. Normal permissions, such as using the internet, are low risk and granted automatically. Dangerous permissions, which touch your personal data like contacts or location, trigger a runtime permission prompt that you must approve, a system introduced back in the release of Android 6.0. A signature permission is reserved for apps signed by the same developer, and a handful of special permissions, like accessibility, sit outside the normal flow entirely.
Android also organises related permissions into permission groups, so approving one can cover several related actions. Understanding this level of access helps you judge which requests are appropriate permissions for a given app and which are a warning sign.
Some permissions carry far more risk than others. These are the ones that deserve real scrutiny before you agree.
This is the most abused special permission on Android. Accessibility services can read everything on your screen and control your device's operation on your behalf. That is enormous power, and a malicious app loves it, since one with accessibility access can read your passwords, tap buttons for you, and steal banking details. Unless an app has a clear accessibility use case, never grant it.
An app that can read your SMS messages can intercept the one-time codes that protect your accounts. Phone access is just as sensitive, since it can expose your phone number, your ongoing call status, and even your current cellular network information, while call log access reveals who you contact. Outside genuine communication apps, almost nothing needs this, so a game requesting to read SMS messages or place phone calls is a serious red flag.
Device administrator rights let an app lock, wipe, or control your phone at a deep level, and malware uses them to resist being uninstalled. The permission to install unknown apps lets one app quietly install others, and full root access hands over the entire operating system. These are among the app permissions you should never grant to a new app you do not completely trust, and should be reserved for official tools like an employer's device software.
Beyond the worst offenders, several everyday permissions still expose sensitive data. Location is valuable, so choose approximate location over precise where you can, set it to While Using the App rather than Always, and deny it to any app with no mapping function. Microphone and the device's camera should only go to apps that obviously need them, and it is worth checking they cannot record videos or listen in the background. Access to your contact list, photos, and external storage can reveal deeply personal information, so grant it only when a feature truly needs it.
Health data deserves special care. Fitness trackers and health apps may request your step count, physical activity, and heart rate, which is fine for a genuine fitness app but not for anything else. This sensitive information paints a detailed picture of your life, so treat requests for it as carefully as you would your messages.
Open the system settings, then Permission Manager, for a full list of permissions and app access for any specific app. Revoke anything wrong. Android 12 and later add a Privacy Dashboard, showing how apps access your data and how an app's permission gets used over time.
Run this quick audit occasionally, since apps can gain permissions through updates. Granting an app only limited access, and removing what it does not need, almost never breaks it, and if a feature requires a specific permission later, the app will simply ask again.
The clearest warning sign is a mismatch between a particular app and the access it wants. Ask why this app would need this specific permission. A flashlight app requesting your contact list, or a simple game asking to read SMS messages, are classic signs of an app harvesting personal data it has no business collecting. A legitimate social media app or communication app like Facebook Messenger genuinely needs contacts and a microphone, but a wallpaper app does not, so context and the app developer's reputation are everything. Even legitimate apps occasionally ask for a particular permission they do not really need, so it pays to check.
Free apps that seem too generous often monetise your data instead of charging money, so following a few best practices helps. Read recent reviews before you install any new app, download from the Google Play Store rather than unknown sources, and remember that the appropriate permissions for one app can be a red flag for another.
Learning the app permissions you should never grant carelessly takes just a few minutes and protects you every time you install something from Google Play or any app store. Be extremely wary of accessibility access, SMS and phone permissions, device admin, and root access, since these are the ones a malicious app relies on. Keep location, camera, and health data on a tight leash, run an occasional audit in the Privacy Dashboard, and always ask whether a request matches what the app actually does. A moment of thought before tapping Allow is the strongest privacy tool you have on any Android device.
Alice Robbins · Editor
Editor
