Q: Can you explain the dangers of allowing apps to access my contacts, photos, location and other items on my Android phone? The app permissions process on Android phones is very much like the ...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) — Smartphones and apps have become a major part of our daily lives but we may be giving them more permissions than we realize. Most of us don’t pay a lot of ...

Future versions of the Firefox OS mobile platform will allow users to control application-specific permissions, a feature with both privacy and security benefits that’s missing on Android. Firefox OS ...

Mobile app permissions are a daunting problem: it’s difficult to know exactly what each app on your phone is doing, reading, or tracking when you’re not using the app. With the right combination of ...

Mobile applications increasingly want access to various functions on your smartphones and tablets, such as your location and contacts book. But some of these app permissions should not be granted. App ...

If you’re really honest, do you actually read the permissions that Android apps are asking for before you install them? If you do, then there’s little doubt that you’re in the minority. Most of us ...

Android app permissions aren't as easy to identify as they once were, but that doesn't mean you have to be uninformed. When it comes to Android and privacy, we’re accustomed to seeing things move in a ...

Taylor worked with AP from 2018 to 2025, most recently as Google Editor. Currently, Wear OS apps have permissions separate from those granted to apps on your phone. For example, if you download the ...

Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as ...

Every application needs authorization. It’s the backbone that decides who can access what, when, and under which conditions. But the hard part isn’t ...