Ideas for Minimizing Permission Requests on Android

If an app has too many permission requests, it can quickly overwhelm the average user. It should go without saying that the ultimate goal for a developer is to make an app as easy and stress-free as possible for a user. Not to mention that a user may become quickly frustrated if the app asks too much of them. Also, a user may become worried that the app may be using their personal information for nefarious purposes and they may refuse to download the app, uninstall the app, or stop using the app altogether. So, the following are some helpful hints to minimize the permission requests on Android.

Test for Various Permissions Models
First, you should test for both permissions models. Starting with Android 6.0, users don’t actually grant or cancel app permissions when they install the app; they actually do those functions when they run the app. This means that you will have to use a wider range of conditions to test your app under. So, under the new permissions model, you can no longer assume that when your app is running, it has all the permissions it declares in the app manifest.

Read More: Can Your Android Apps Actually Leak Memory?

Don’t Overdo It: Only Ask for Necessary Permissions
Next, and arguably most importantly, only ask for the permissions that you need the most. A great way to cut down on the permissions you ask for is by going through and cutting the ones that aren’t absolutely necessary. Each time you ask for a new permission, you’re making the user take the time to accept or deny the permission request. And if the list of requests you have is too long, then you may run the risk of the user deciding not to download the app.

Don’t Overwhelm Users with Permissions
Finally, be sure that the permissions that you’re requesting don’t overwhelm the user. If the user must stop the app and grant your permissions, they may become overwhelmed and quit your app altogether. If you ask for too many at one time, the user will likely not want to take the time to grant them all at once. A good solution to this issue would be to ask for the permissions as you need them. You could also have the user grant just a few permissions when launching the app for the first time and then have them grant additional permissions as the need arises.