Warning for millions of Android phone owners – do an important check now – The Irish Sun

If you have an Android phone, you need to do an important security check.

Your app stack grows over the years and it’s easy to lose control of your privacy.

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An easy way to boost your virtual security is to check the permissions you have granted to these apps.

Permissions allow apps to access different parts of your Android phone.

It could be the camera, the microphone, your location or your personal photos.

Of course, many apps need certain permissions to work.

WhatsApp will need microphone access to allow voice notes.

And Instagram will need access to your camera or you won’t be able to take stories in the app.

Similarly, Uber needs to know your location for taxi rides, and a photo-editing app needs to be able to see the images you have on your phone.

But you have to be very careful if an app has a weird permission that doesn’t make sense.

And consider denying certain permissions on apps you’ve had for a while but rarely use.

Some apps can use your data for malicious purposes.

Luckily, you can deny these permissions very easily, locking your private information and media away from malicious apps.

How to Check Android App Permissions

You can check your Android app permissions at any time — and you should make a habit of doing so.

Here’s what you need to do…

• 1. Go to Settings
• 2. Tap Apps
• 3. Choose the app you want to edit (you may need to tap See all apps)
• 4. Tap Permissions
• 5. Change Permissions Using Allow or Don’t Allow

You may be able to choose additional levels of detail for certain permissions such as location, camera, and microphone.

This could include access only while using the app, “ask every time”, and don’t allow.

You can also change permissions based on their type, such as photo access.

Just go to Settings > Privacy > Permission Manager, choose a type, then change any of the permissions from there.

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