# What's the 411 on permissions?



## SheilaJ (Apr 10, 2011)

I've had a fire since day 1 and just this week got the fire HD and have faithfully dl'd the free app of the day for over a year.  My question is what is the deal with permissions?  I don't understand anything about them but boy some reviewers go on rants about different ones.  Is there something out there that explains the different permissions?

What are the ones that are OK and what are the ones that should be avoided?

Thanks


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## NightReader (Apr 25, 2010)

Android devices have to ask you to give them permissions to do things, like keep your Fire from going to sleep while you're watching it, connect to the internet, etc. Most are completely harmless and required for the app to work. But, malware could use some of those permissions to do bad things. So, you should always think about whether the app that is asking should really want the permissions it is asking for. (For instance, I won't install anything that asks to see my contacts since there's no valid reason to want those.)

I think this is a pretty good primer on permissions:

http://techpp.com/2010/07/30/android-apps-permissions-secure-private-data/


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## SheilaJ (Apr 10, 2011)

NightReader - Thank you for pointing me towards that primer.  The info there is a lot to take in.  I would imagine when buying an app and looking at the permissions that it is an all or nothing situation.  There isn't a way to allow some requested permissions and deny others is there?


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## NightReader (Apr 25, 2010)

SheilaJ said:


> NightReader - Thank you for pointing me towards that primer. The info there is a lot to take in. I would imagine when buying an app and looking at the permissions that it is an all or nothing situation. There isn't a way to allow some requested permissions and deny others is there?


Yes, it's "all or nothing", so if the permission list makes you nervous, it's better to not install the app.


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## SheilaJ (Apr 10, 2011)

NightReader said:


> Yes, it's "all or nothing", so if the permission list makes you nervous, it's better to not install the app.


OK, thanks. Ill have to start looking at those permissions more carefully.


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

I like at least being able to see what permissions an app requires before install.  Then I'll have some idea of what may happen with the app, rather than getting a nasty surprise down the road.


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

The fuss about permissions has a lot to do with what can be done with information on the device and what access the app wants. 

An app that can send things to a printer needs access to the files, as well as internet access. You'd expect to see those permissions for something like that. 

A simple game might need permission to keep the screen awake (like my game), and might access the internet for a score leader board, but shouldn't need access to personal information, contacts, device information, and so on. You'll see a lot of questions raised if an app asks for more permissions than users feel are necessary, especially if the developer doesn't explain why they need them in the description.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Xopher said:


> The fuss about permissions has a lot to do with what can be done with information on the device and what access the app wants.
> 
> An app that can send things to a printer needs access to the files, as well as internet access. You'd expect to see those permissions for something like that.
> 
> A simple game might need permission to keep the screen awake (like my game), and might access the internet for a score leader board, but shouldn't need access to personal information, contacts, device information, and so on. You'll see a lot of questions raised if an app asks for more permissions than users feel are necessary, especially if the developer doesn't explain why they need them in the description.


Another good guide is to look at reviews/comments in the Google Play store. Nothing against the Amazon store at all, just the Play store has a larger audience of tech savvy users simply because there are more of them that are using Android devices.


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