How to Manage Android App Permissions

This article explains how to access and manage Android permissions, and how to control the information Google collects from you. Instructions apply to Android 12 through Android 8.0 (Oreo).

How to Access Permission Settings

There are three ways to navigate to the permission manager. The first option is by going to the Advanced settings under Apps & notifications.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap Privacy > Permission manager.

3. Tap a permission, such as Calendar or Camera, to allow or deny permissions by app.

4. Select an app, then choose a permission setting.

Get to Permissions Settings By Viewing All Apps

Another method is by going to your all apps page in settings.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap Apps > See all apps to get the full list.

3. Tap an app, then tap Permissions to view that information.

4. As above, you'll see an Allowed and Not Allowed section. Tap an item to change the permissions. Tap See all apps with this permission to see an overview.

How to View Special App Access

Android also has special app access settings. You'd rarely need to play around with these, and some are available in an app's settings. These include Tap & pay (mobile payments) and Unrestricted data.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap Apps.

3. Scroll down and tap Special app access.

   In older versions of Android, tap Advanced > Special app access.

4. You'll see a list of lesser-known permissions such as Battery optimization, Device admin apps, Do Not Disturb access, and Picture-in-picture.

5. Tap a permission to see which apps have it turned on, then tap an app to toggle the permission on or off.

How to Limit Activity Tracking From Google

Google tracks a lot of your activity, some of it to provide you better service or suggestions based on places you've visited, websites you've navigated to, YouTube videos you've watched, as well as personalized ads. It's easy to limit or turn off these permissions if you prefer.

1. Open Settings > Privacy. 

2. Tap Google location history.

   In older versions of Android, tap Advanced > Google location history.

3. Choose a Google account if prompted.

4. Under Location History, tap Turn off.

   Scroll down and tap See All Activity Controls to see all of Google's activity tracking.

In the Activity Controls, you can also enable or disable Google's ability to collect web and app activity, location history, and YouTube history. 

For example, scroll down to Ad personalization and tap Go to Ad Settings to see an explanation of how Google personalizes ads, including personal information you've added to your Google account. You can also see which companies serve you ads based on website visits.

To turn off this feature, tap the Ad personalization slider > Turn off.