Every app on your phone asks for permissions — camera, microphone, location, contacts. Most of those requests are normal. A maps app needs your location; a camera app needs your camera. The problem starts when an app asks for something its job does not need — like a torch app asking for your contacts. Check app permissions on Android regularly, so you can spot requests that do not match what an app actually does.
The honest point first: a permission is not good or bad by itself. The question is always: does this permission match what the app actually does? This guide shows you how to check what any app can access, how to see what apps used recently, and how to take a permission away — in minutes, with nothing to install.
If you are checking permissions because you are unsure about an app you installed from an APK file, start with our APK safety check first — permissions are one part of that check, not the whole story.
What App Permissions Actually Let an App Do
Here are the permissions you will see most often, and what each one allows:
| Permission | What it allows | Normal for |
|---|---|---|
| Location | See where the phone is, sometimes all the time | Maps, ride apps, weather |
| Camera | Take photos and video | Camera, video calls, QR scanners |
| Microphone | Record audio | Calls, voice notes, recorder |
| Contacts | Read your contacts list | Messaging, phone, email |
| SMS | Read and send text messages | Messaging apps only |
| Photos and videos | See and change your photos | Gallery, editors, backup apps |
| Notifications | Show alerts on your phone | Almost any app |
The exact menu names differ slightly by phone brand and Android version, but the steps below work on Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus phones.
Method 1: Check Permissions for One App
This is the fastest way when you are worried about a specific app.
1. Open Settings, then tap Apps.
2. Tap the app you want to check. If you cannot find it, tap See all apps first.
3. Tap Permissions. You will see which permissions are allowed and which are not allowed.
Shortcut: on most phones you can also long-press the app’s icon on the home screen, tap App info (or the small “i” icon), and then tap Permissions.
Method 2: Check by Permission with Permission Manager
Want to see every app that can use your camera, or your microphone? Check by permission instead of by app.
1. Open Settings, then tap Security & privacy (on some phones: Privacy).
2. Tap Permission manager. You will see a list of permission types — Camera, Microphone, Location, Contacts, and more.
3. Tap any permission to see which apps are allowed and which are not allowed. Tap any app to change it.
Start with the big three: Location, Microphone, and Camera. These are the permissions that matter most, because they touch your movement, your voice, and what your phone sees.
Method 3: See What Apps Actually Used with Privacy Dashboard
Checking what an app can access is one thing. Checking what it actually used is better.
On Pixel phones, open Settings → Security & privacy → Privacy dashboard. It shows which apps used your location, camera, and microphone in the last 24 hours, and you can switch to the last 7 days. On Samsung Galaxy phones, open Settings → Security and privacy → Permissions used in last 24 hours for the same view.
If an app used your microphone at 3 in the morning while you were asleep, that is worth investigating — the app should have a reason, and if it does not, remove the permission.
Which Permissions Should Worry You?
Use this simple rule: if the permission does not fit the app’s job, treat it as a red flag.
| Red flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A torch, calculator, or wallpaper app asking for contacts, SMS, or location | That app has no reason to need them — the permission is the product |
| Any app asking for Accessibility access that you did not deliberately turn on | Accessibility is powerful: it can read your screen and press buttons for you |
| An app listed under Device admin apps that you do not recognise | Device admin apps are hard to uninstall and can lock or wipe the phone |
| An app that used the camera or microphone when you were not using it | Check the Privacy Dashboard — there should be a reason, or the permission should go |
One red flag does not prove an app is harmful — but it is a reason to check the app properly before trusting it. Our guide to installing APKs safely and safe alternatives to mod APKs covers the other checks.
How to Change or Revoke a Permission
Open Settings → Apps → [the app] → Permissions, tap the permission, and choose one of these:
Allow — the app can use it any time. Allow only while using the app — the safest choice for location, camera, and microphone on apps you trust. Ask every time — the app must ask each time it wants access. Don’t allow — the app cannot use it at all.
For location only, there is also Allow all the time — use it only for apps that genuinely need background location, like a family locator you chose yourself. If an app stops working after you remove a permission, that tells you the permission was actually needed — you can always turn it back on.
Android also cleans up after you: if you do not open an app for a long time, Android can automatically remove its permissions. You can check this under the app’s settings as Pause app activity if unused. Google’s own guide covers the same steps: Change app permissions on your Android phone (Google Play Help).
Check Permissions Before You Install an App
On the Play Store, open the app’s page and look for the Data safety section. It shows what data the app collects and shares. But be honest with yourself about what it is: that information comes from the developer, not from Google checking the app. It is useful, but it is not independent proof that an app is safe.
For APK files from outside the Play Store there is no Data safety section at all — which is why the checks in our APK safety guide matter more. And if an install ever fails with a strange error, our guide to fixing the “App not installed” error covers the fixes in order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking permissions change anything?
No. Looking at the Permissions page changes nothing — the app keeps working as before. Only changing a setting (Allow to Don’t allow, for example) changes what the app can do.
Will the app stop working if I remove a permission?
Only the feature that needed it. A camera app without camera permission cannot take photos, but a torch app without contacts permission works exactly the same. If something breaks, turn the permission back on.
What is the difference between “Clear cache” and removing permissions?
Nothing to do with each other. Clearing the cache deletes temporary files. Removing a permission stops the app from using your camera, location, or contacts. Neither deletes your photos or logins.
Can an app turn its own permissions back on?
No. An app cannot re-grant a permission you removed. It can ask you again — and you can say no again.
Checking permissions takes about two minutes per app, and it is the single most useful privacy habit on Android. Start with the apps you did not install yourself, or the ones you barely use — those are the ones most worth a look. See all our guides on the Browse APKs page.
Last updated: November 2, 2026