Google has just published the second Android 13 Developer, or Android Tiramisu, and it comes loaded with new features, including the changes to the way permissions work. It is not only the new notifications permission -which we can finally test in this DP2- but other new permissions.
Android 13 lets apps find nearby devices over Wi-Fi without having to grant location permission, adds the new notifications permission, and paves the way for convert file and media permission into three separate permissions.
New notifications permission
It is the great star of Android 13 is the new notifications permission. The big difference with previous versions of Android is that in them the apps had permission to send serial notifications, although you could always revoke it later. In Android 13, apps don’t have permission until you tell them otherwise.
For developers, this permission has the identifier POST_NOTIFICATIONS and works a little differently than other permissions. From an app’s options, tapping on the Notifications permission opens notification settings of said app.
Files and documents
It still seems to be half-cooked, but Google is preparing a major change in the permission of media files and content. This permission as such seems to be kept the same, but it will change its name to Files and documentsanticipating that it will not be appropriate for an app that needs to access audio or photo files (we will see it below).
The permission is still the old familiar READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, which started to be more restrictive since Android 10 (previously it was granted automatically). The new name could indicate that in the future it will be used as a mixed bag for those files that are not photos, videos or audio.
Music and other audio files
A new permission coming in Android 13 is the Music and other audio fileswhich Google defines as necessary for an app to be able to read audio files from external storage.
Officially named READ_MEDIA_AUDIO, this permission is something of a spin-off of READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE for audio only. On Android 13 DP2 still doesn’t seem to work properly, but Google is going to do it required for apps built for Android 13. For apps designed for older versions, the external storage permission automatically grants this and the next one.
Photos and videos
Android 13 DP2 settings show it as a new permission called Photos and videosalthough internally Google classifies it as two: READ_MEDIA_IMAGE and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO, for photos and videos respectively.
It is a rrefinement of previous external storage permissionwhich will be even more granular starting with Android 13. Apps designed for earlier versions continue to use the old permission, which automatically grants access to audio, photos, and videos.
Nearby devices
Another change that comes with Android 13 is the permission to find nearby devices over Wi-Fiwithout the need to grant the application the location permission, as was the case with previous versions.
This new NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES permission is the second time that Google extract nearby devices permission from location. In Android 12 BLUETOOTH_SCAN was added, to do the same but with the scanning of nearby Bluetooth devices.
Read phone status, basic edition
Since the first versions of Android, applications could request permission to get phone status (network information, if there is a call in progress and the accounts on the mobile), which turned out to be too extensive. In Android 11, the more precise READ_PRECISE_PHONE_STATE arrived, intended for specific apps such as dialers, operator apps and the like.
With Android 13 comes READ_BASIC_PHONE_STATE which returns only some data like system version or network type to which it is connected, therefore being a less dangerous permission than the previous one.
Body sensors in the background
Another internal change in Android 13 permissions is in the access permission to the mobile sensors in the background. This permission allows an app to access health sensors (such as heart rate), when the app is not in use.
Of course, it will not be a permit for everyone. Google indicates in its documentation that this permission is going to be very restricted and available only when the app installer allows the permission. The permission is named BODY_SENSORS_BACKGROUND
Revocation of permissions from the app
Finally, Android 13 allows an application to remove permissions. Apps obviously can’t add permissions to themselves, but they also can’t take permissions away from you when they’re no longer needed (if you’ve changed how they work or no longer have a feature that requires them).
