Runtime Permissions

As we build our Android apps, there are some functionalities that require permissions to be granted for them to function properly. Due to privacy and data security policies, we as developers can not automatically grant permissions to the apps that we develop. We need to inform the users of the permissions that the apps need and why they need them.

In this chapter, we will understand runtime permissions and how to request them in our app.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following main topics:

• Understanding runtime permissions
• Requesting permissions at runtime

Technical requirements

To follow the instructions in this chapter, you will need to have Android Studio Hedgehog or later (https://developer.android.com/studio) downloaded.

You can use the previous chapter’s code to follow the instructions in this chapter. You can find the code for this chapter at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Kotlin-for-Android/tree/main/chapternine.

Understanding runtime permissions

Runtime permissions are permissions that are requested at runtime by an app. They are also called dangerous permissions. The user can grant or deny each permission, and the app can continue to run with limited capabilities even if the user denies a permission request. Android provides several methods you can use to request permission, such as requestPermissions() and checkSelfPermission(). The user only needs to grant permission once during the lifetime of the app.

Some of the features that need permission to be granted to work are camera, location, microphone and storage. Before using them, ensure that a user has permission to use them. If the user has not granted permission, you must request it from them. If the user has denied the permission, you must show a dialog explaining why you need it and ask the user to grant it from the settings. If the user has granted permission, you can use the feature. Failing to do these checks often results in...

Requesting permissions at runtime

We will follow the steps covered in Figure 9.1 to request runtime permissions for our app:

1. Let us start by adding the permission to the manifest file. We will request permission to access the user’s location. To do this, we add the following permission to the manifest file:

   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" />

   This specifies that our app will be using the ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION permission. Declaring permissions in the manifests is crucial for enhancing security, user awareness, and overall app compatibility. By explicitly specifying the actions or resources apps require access to permissions informs users during installations, allowing them to make informed decisions about granting or denying access. This declaration ensures compatibility across different Android versions and devices, facilitates inter-app communication, and supports intent filtering to control component access. Permissions...

Summary

In this chapter, we explored what runtime permissions are and why we should declare and request permissions in our apps. Step by step, we learned how to request runtime permissions in our app and how to show permission rationale dialogs, explaining to users why we need access to runtime permissions in cases where they have denied apps access to permissions.

In the next chapter, we will learn debugging tips and tricks, how to detect leaks using LeakCanary, how to inspect HTTPS requests/responses fired by our app using Chucker, and how to inspect the Room database.