Google Play will remove permissions from apps you don't use on any version of Android

Thanks to Google Play Protect we gain a very useful security and privacy function: now any version of Android will remove the permissions of apps that we do not use , something that was previously reserved for Android 11 and 12.

One of the most interesting features of Android 11 is that applications lose their permissions (location, camera, microphone, storage, etc.) if we spend a few months without opening them. In this way, the risk of a program collecting data in the background is reduced even though we are not taking advantage of it.

Now practically all active mobiles will enjoy this possibility. When permissions are automatically removed, we will receive a notification , with the possibility of keeping those that we do consider necessary.

Imagen - Android ya quita los permisos de las apps que no usas

This new security feature actually applies from Android 6 to Android 10 , but it’s not an exaggeration to talk about “all” versions by looking at usage statistics. Android 6 was released in 2015, so very few phones have older versions. In fact, they barely account for about 5% of active phones in 2022, according to Google statistics.

The permissions of the operating system are on the way to becoming stricter, because in Android 13 they will need our authorization even to send notifications.

Developers can ask the user to disable the automatic clearing of permissions in their specific application. It is an option intended for very specific cases, such as apps that must work in the background, without being opened almost never.

Google Play Protect is a kind of official antivirus for the operating system , which is necessary since the review process for applications to enter the official store is not too demanding.

In addition, thanks to the so-called Google Play Services, new functions sometimes arrive on old mobiles that are no longer going to receive updates to their older version of Android. Manufacturers are not given to updating phones with a time in the market, and in this way Google compensates.

Of course, the auto-delete of permissions in Android is a step forward , which will take more care of privacy, but we must not forget that Google itself is the first to collect huge amounts of personal information to use in its advertising business.