android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO

[Alek]

Hey everyone,

I've been trying to publish an update for my app on the Google Play Store for a while now, but I keep getting an error asking for an explanation about why I’m using these two permissions:

- android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES

- android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO

The issue is that my app isn’t supposed to access photos or videos on the device—I only use Set and Get item from storage. Do you think these permissions could be related to that?

Also, is there a way to check which permissions the app uses before compiling it?

Thanks!

(I'm using v.4.12.218)

[Sankara1]

Hallo Alek, In SAP Mobile Services, specifically for the SAP Mobile Development Kit (MDK) Android apps, several permissions are requested by default. These permissions are essential for various functionalities within the app. Below are some of the key permissions and their use cases:

Required Permissions

1. android.permission.CAMERA

   • Use Cases:
     • Scan QR codes during onboarding
     • Scan barcodes using barcode scan action, search bars, and simple property barcode scan input
     • Take a picture and attach within the application
   • Recommendation: It is advised not to disable this permission as it is crucial for the mentioned functionalities 

2. android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION

   • Use Cases:
     • SDK Map and Usage features
   • Note: This permission is not currently exposed in out-of-the-box MDK controls/features. If your app does not try to get the current location nor use the SDK Map or Usage, it could potentially be disabled 

3. android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

   • Use Cases:
     • Selecting files or images for attaching within the app
     • Reading offline OData stores
   • Note: You can disable this permission if your app does not offer file attachment and offline data access features 

Disabling Permissions

To disable a default permission, you can create a partial manifest in your .mdkproject as shown below:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools">
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" tools:node="remove" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" tools:node="remove" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" tools:node="remove" />
</manifest>

Note: Disabling a necessary app permission can break your app's functionality 

Security Recommendations

If your app manages files such as downloaded attachments or images captured using the device camera, consider how these files are stored and how they can be passed to external viewers. Android provides content providers that you can use to manage this data. For more information, see Content providers 

Additional Resources

For more details on image assets and configuring permissions for your app built with SAP Build Apps, refer to the Image Assets and iOS Usage Strings guide 

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to ask.

[Alek]

Thanks for your reply. Could you please tell me where to find the .mdkproject file? I can’t see any configuration page in SAP Build Apps. Are you saying I could modify the files inside the .aab package before uploading it to the store? Thanks!