Can an app access your photos or location? You are in control of the permission yourself. That provides more privacy.
Need
There are many useful apps for the tablet or smartphone that make life easier and more fun. Rainfall radar shows, for example, whether you appear dry. In addition to a text message, you can also easily send a photo via WhatsApp. What you may not realize is that the apps for that use features on the device. Buienradar uses the GPS to determine the location and WhatsApp must have access to your photos to send a photo. In this case, it is therefore necessary that the apps have permission for this. But it doesn’t hurt to take a critical look at which functions an app uses. Then consider whether you do want to give permission for this.
Authorize
The moment you start using the app, it is possible to indicate whether you give the app permission to use the requested data. You then have control over whether an app can use, for example, your location or photos. When the app needs permission to use a function, this request comes up as a pop-up. You only grant access if it makes sense.
Does the access make sense?
It is equally important to pay attention if an app asks for permission to the microphone or camera and has nothing to do there. For example, WhatsApp needs access to send a voice message or photo. But with an app that doesn’t do anything with photos or sound recordings, access is suspicious. And a games app that asks for permission to send unlimited text messages? Kind of strange.
So if you find that an app wants to access parts where it has no business, don’t give it permission. Also, see if there’s an app that can do the same thing, but isn’t quite as demanding.
Set access per item
On an Android phone (from Android 7.0) you can indicate which parts/functionalities apps make use of.
- Tap the app Institutions.
- Tap on apps.
- Tap the three dots icon at the top right.
- Tap on App permissions or Permission Management.
- An overview opens of the components that apps use. Check which apps have access to the camera? Tap on Camera.
- Under ‘Allowed’ are apps that can access the camera. ‘Denied’ lists the apps that do not have access. Revoke access to a particular component (such as the camera)? Tap “Allowed” on the app, then tap Refuse.
The affected app no ​​longer has access to the camera. This way you can also control which apps have access to other parts on the device, such as the location, microphone or calendar.
Set access per app
Don’t trust an app? Then look at that specific app for which it has permission. Revoke the revoke permissions where necessary.
- Tap on Institutions.
- Tap on apps.
- Tap the app whose permissions you want to view.
- Tap on Permissions.
- An overview of the permissions opens. Under “Allowed” are the items on the device that the app has access to.
- Revoke access? Tap the item (for example Camera or Storage).
- Tap on Wto own.