Nothing is wrong with your mobile. If you have noticed that Google has removed the permissions of an application or several without you having done anything, it has very good reasons for this, and we are going to tell you about it.
A Google security feature is removing permissions from your apps automatically without you doing anything for your own security. But it does not happen in all apps nor will you see it every day. It is designed so that your mobile does not get hacked or that certain apps do not take control of it.
Surely, when updating your mobile or buying a new one with Android 13 you have realized that they give more importance to application permissions since only you confirm them knowing what you are doing. The restrictions are maximum for your own safety.
However, Google already had a security feature that protects you without you realizing it. You may have found out today when an unknown message has appeared warning you that it is going to remove the permissions of apps that you do not use.
Why does Google remove permissions from my apps?
Google has incorporated this new security feature from Android 11 so that if you haven’t used an app for a long time, its permissions will disappear. Subsequently, the company has decided to bring this feature to older mobiles and that is why you may have noticed now. It is not worrying or alarming, it is just a Google procedure to guarantee your privacy and security.
The fact that the operating system deletes the permissions automatically is largely due to the fact that you may have installed an app that is useless and you do not delete it, or that you have installed it, but you hardly ever use it. This can put your mobile in danger without you realizing it because there are applications that have many permissions that can be used at the least expected moment. Not all of them have to be malware, far from it, but the risk exists.
To protect your privacy, permissions are removed from apps that you haven’t used for at least 3 months. Your notifications are also stopped to save battery life and temporary files are deleted to free up space. This is a feature of Play Protect that takes advantage of constantly scanning devices for harmful behavior in apps or on the device.
This means that, if you use an app that you need, but you don’t use very often, you realize that it asks you for permissions again and you have to accept them to take advantage of all its possibilities. Or that it deletes its permissions without being asked and you get the notice. In applications that you use in your day to day, you will not receive any warning, but there are others in which you do.
If you want it not to remove the permissions of an app , even if you haven’t used it for a long time, you can do it from Play Protect on old mobiles or in the application settings of your mobile if it’s more recent. As of Android 11, if you look for the app in these settings and click on it, in the application permissions section you can uncheck the option Remove permissions and free up space.
They do not have to be malicious, but to be sure, Google forces you to confirm the permissions again if you are going to use it again to maintain maximum security on your mobile. Therefore, if you see a notice indicating that the permissions of the apps on your mobile will be removed, don’t worry. This is because an app has certain conflicting permissions and you haven’t used it for a long time. You can change this setting if you wish, although it doesn’t hurt to have it active.