How to use Android’s Permission manager to review every app

Most people manage Android permissions one app at a time, if at all. Permission manager turns that around. It lists each kind of access, such as your location or microphone, and shows every app that holds it.

That makes it the fastest way to audit a phone. In ten minutes you can see which apps can read your messages, track where you are or open your camera, and take back anything they do not need.

This guide shows where to find Permission manager, what each permission means, the order to review them in and how it differs from the privacy dashboard. Every step is based on Google's Android Help documentation.

Why review by permission, not by app

Checking apps one by one works for a single app you are unsure about. For a full audit it is slow, because a phone can hold dozens of apps and each one hides its permissions on a separate page.

Permission manager flips the view. Open SMS once and you see every app that can read your texts. Open Location once and you see every app that knows where you are. Unusual entries stand out immediately.

For location specifically, our guide to precise and approximate location on Android explains how to switch an app from exact to approximate once you spot it.

How to open Permission manager

Google documents this route in its Android Help, though menus differ between Android versions and phone makers.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Security and privacy, then Privacy.
3. Tap Permission manager.

Cannot find it? Search Settings for permission manager, which is the most reliable method because menu names vary. Some phones place it under Settings, then Privacy, then Permission manager.

What you will see inside

The main screen lists permission types, such as Camera, Location and Microphone. Tap one to see the apps you have allowed or denied for that permission.

For location, camera and microphone, apps are grouped by the kind of access they hold. Google's Android Help describes the possible choices like this:

Every permission, explained

Google's Android Help lists these permission types and what each one allows when it is turned on:

Not every app needs broad file access. On Android 13 and later, Photo Picker lets you share chosen photos and videos, and the app can access only the media you select. The categories you see depend on your Android version.

The order to review them in

Use this as a suggested order, not a universal ranking of risk. Camera, microphone, location and broad file access can be just as sensitive, depending on the app. Start where few apps have a good reason to ask.

1. SMS and Call logs
2. Contacts and Calendar
3. Location
4. Microphone and Camera
5. Files
6. Physical activity and Health, Wellness, Fitness
7. Photos and videos, Music and audio
8. Nearby devices, Phone and Notifications

SMS and call logs come first because text messages carry one-time sign-in codes. Outside your messaging and phone apps, almost nothing needs them.

Contacts and calendar come next because they hold information about other people and your plans. Location follows, because an app that knows where you are all day knows where you live and work.

For each permission, ask one question about every app on the list: does it need this access for the job I installed it to do? If the answer is no, remove it.

Does the request make sense? Three examples

Context decides whether a permission is reasonable. These three examples show how to judge a request quickly.

A request that does not fit the app's job is a red flag. Deny it first, then check whether the app still works. Our guide to Android app permissions covers more app types.

How to change an app's access

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Security and privacy, then Privacy.
3. Choose Permission manager.
4. Pick a permission, for example Location.
5. Select the app whose access you want to change.
6. Choose Allow only while using the app, Ask every time or Don't allow.

The change applies straight away. Removing a permission an app is using can close the app or stop the feature that depends on it, so finish what you are doing first.

Ask every time gives you the same one-time behavior described in our guide to Android's Only this time permission.

Permission manager, privacy dashboard and special access

Android gives you three places to check access, and each one answers a different question.

Use them together. Spot something odd in the privacy dashboard, remove the access in Permission manager, then check Special app access for anything the app should not have.

Our guide to which Android app permissions to turn off covers special access in detail.

Let Android tidy up apps you no longer use

Old apps you have forgotten about can keep permissions for months. Android has a built-in way to rein them in.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Apps, then pick the app.
3. Scroll to Unused app settings, then enable Pause app activity if unused.

Do this for apps you rarely open but want to keep. Android then removes their permissions after a period without use.

Switch off the camera or microphone for every app

Sometimes you want no app to see or hear anything, for example in a private meeting. Android has a switch for the whole device.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Security and privacy, then Privacy.
3. Select Privacy controls.
4. Switch off Camera access or Microphone access.Off

Reverse the change in the same place whenever you need them again. While they are off, apps cannot use the camera or microphone, even if their permission is set to allow.

Frequently asked questions

Is Permission manager the same on every Android phone?

The idea is the same because it comes from Android, but menu names and locations vary by phone maker and Android version. Search Settings for permission manager if you cannot find it.

Will removing a permission break the app?

Usually only the feature that needs it stops working. The app asks again when you try that feature, and you can allow it then.

Why does an app I removed access from still appear in the list?

The list shows apps that asked for the permission, whether you allowed or denied it. Check which group the app is in rather than whether it appears.

How often should I review Permission manager?

A full review every few months is enough for most people, plus a quick check after installing any app that asked for a lot of access.

Does Permission manager show special app access?

No. Abilities such as installing other apps or drawing over other apps live in Special app access, a separate section of Settings.

Can I check which apps used my microphone lately?

Yes, the privacy dashboard lists them. Permission manager shows what apps are allowed to do, while the dashboard shows what they actually did.

A quick checklist

• Open Permission manager and start with SMS and Call logs.
• Remove contacts and calendar access from apps that do not need it.
• Switch location to Allow only while using the app wherever possible.
• Review microphone and camera access app by app.
• Check Files for apps that can read everything on your storage.
• Enable Pause app activity if unused for apps you open rarely.
• Check the privacy dashboard and Special app access when something looks odd.

Up nextWhich Android app permissions to turn offPermission manager shows what each app can do. Our guide to which Android app permissions to turn off explains which permissions to deny entirely and which ones apps genuinely need.→