Android automatically revokes app rights – even on older smartphones

You know it: downloaded some crap photos app, allowed access to the camera — and just forgot at some point. Since version 11, Google’s Android smartphone operating system has automatically withdrawn such “forgotten” and no longer access to apps with sensitive rights such as access to device memory or camera. The function is officially called “Permission Auto-Reset”.

Complete Now Google wants to activate for older operating systemsAs of Android 6.0 (API level 23), this function will be available automatically from December 2021 google play services Can be played without user interaction. For some time now, Google has been making more use of system and background services updates via Play Services, for example to close security gaps on devices that are no longer supplied with system updates by the manufacturer. .

All equipment must be supplied by April 2022

According to Google, all devices should have received the update in the first quarter of 2022. Android 6 was released in October 2015 – so most smartphones still in use today should benefit from this function.

The whole thing works securely with apps developed for Android 11 (API level 30), with older apps the function has to be activated manually in the settings. When an app is considered “not used for a long time”, Android documentation is not specificWell, we’re only talking about “a few months”.

App developers have the option of asking users for a waiver to prevent automatic rights resets – this makes sense, for example, for apps that primarily run in the background and regularly start manually. are not. There are exceptions for Android smartphones as well which are administered by companies.

(JKJ)