This Android 11 privacy feature will expand to Marshmallow devices and higher
TL; DR
- Google will soon be expanding the ability to automatically reset permissions for apps on older devices.
- This feature will be added in December for phones running Android 6.0 or higher.
- The rollout on these devices will be completed by the first quarter of 2022.
If you have an older Android phone or tablet, updates for those phones usually stop after a few years. However, Google just announced that it will add a nice security feature that it introduced with Android 11 for any device with Google Play services that runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and above.
The security function is the automatic reset for app permissions. If you haven’t used an app for a few months, Android 11 will reset its permissions. If you choose to launch this app on your phone or tablet, you will be asked to re-enable these permissions such as location or access to your contacts or media. It provides extra privacy and security to any apps that might be trying to track you or use your phone, even when the app is not actively used.
Related: Handy privacy dashboard, one of the best new features in Android 12
Well, this neat feature will be launched in December for phones running Android 6.0 or higher. While automatic permission reset is enabled by default on Android 11, users can manually set up this feature for all older phones.
There will be some exceptions, e.g. B. Apps run by remote administrators for corporate customers. Also, developers can ask users if they want to turn off the auto-reset feature for their apps on older phones. Still, this comes as a nice surprise to people using much older phones, especially if you’re using some of Google’s Nexus phones or tablets.
