Take Control of Your Apps Permissions

The Internet is not very entertaining without the Apps that you download or give permission to run in the background. We need Apps to run functions that we do on our smart devices. So to send a text we may need to permit our message app to access our contacts.?

Permissions are the privileges that we grant to an app to do functions on our devices. For instance, with Cox cable and internet Kinetic tv, we grant permission to their app to use our data for streaming. This may include other permissions such as showing us movies, Tv channels or music, etc. Similarly, for something as simple as saving a pic in one of the folders, your Camera app will ask for permission to access the file or photos on your device.

Taking Control of App Permissions

Similarly, for something as simple as saving a pic in one of the folders, your Camera app will ask for permission to access the file or photos on your device.

Our favorite social media from Facebook to Instagram and beyond runs on Apps. They require permission from us to access our current location, our personal information like phone numbers, street address, friends and their details, etc. This is a legal requirement by which companies have to comply by. It is to safeguard our privacy and at the same time their skin.

Unusual and Odd Permission Requests

We get odd permission requests sometimes. Even the most legit apps such as Facebook Messenger ask for permission to access microphones. It’s not really because they are eavesdropping on us, or recording our conversations, but rather because it has a voice memo function. It requires permission to initiate that function. But if you are sure that you will never use that function, you can deny permission.

Most of these apps run in the background, and we don’t even realize it. Then why is it important to control the App permissions? A simple answer is that not all apps are good. Some are made with the intention of spying, some may steal or spy on data, whether personal or contact lists. Some are just plain malicious to corrupt our devices.

Whatever are the intentions, it’s these kinds of Apps that we need to be vigilant about.? It’s a good idea to periodically keep checking and resetting the level of App permission set on your device to shake things up. Let’s discuss some ways you can decide which app should work on your device and which ones you want to avoid:

App Permission on Android Devices

Let’s learn about how to manage permission settings on Android devices. These are among the most commonly-used consumer devices.

Depending upon how familiar you are with your phone. You need to open the Settings and go to Apps and Notifications. Tap on the App you want to look into. If you can’t find it in the displayed Apps,?click on the ‘See All’ option and find your App.

You can double-click on permissions to check what permissions that App enjoys on your device. For example, your messenger might have access to your contact list. If you no longer need to use messenger for messaging, you can tap on it to deny permission. In case, that permission is necessary for that particular function or App. You might have to tick another box to deny its permissions.

What Happens When You Deny Permission?

You may find the App functioning oddly after the editing permissions. A certain function may not work at all. You can decide at that time if you want to do without that function or App. Else you can go back and tick the permission on.

Yet another way to find a detailed list of permissions is to go to App Permission, from there click on Apps and Notifications. This will give you a comprehensive list of app permissions. It will be listed by functionality, i.e permissions to access the contacts list to camera use to notifications.

You then decide which ones to deny. If permission is crucial to an app’s function, it will ask again until accepting the request.

IOS Devices

Just like Android devices, you must be familiar with the phone to begin altering permissions. App permissions for IOS devices are not very different from those of Android. To set or re-evaluate them access your Setting, from there go to Privacy to see all App permissions, like access to photos, contact list, location and even to send notifications. Permission to send notifications only appears when a new app is downloaded.

You can then decide what you want to keep and what permissions you are not comfortable giving. Other than privacy these apps running in the background also drain a phone’s battery and the data. So, it is better to check on permissions and the apps that are running in the background.

Gaming apps sometimes download without your knowledge. They are hidden behind some other Apps as partner apps. When you download a certain new app you might find that some gaming apps have appeared without your knowledge.

These apps take up valuable space on your devices, wasting data on the devices.? It’s important to clear them from time to time and take control of app permissions on your devices.