App Permission Checker: What Each One Can Do
Tick what an app asks for, and the checker explains each permission in plain words, shows which ones a games app has no obvious need for, and flags the pairs that matter. It reasons from permissions only and cannot see an app’s code.
What it does
Every Android app lists the powers it wants, called permissions. This tool turns that list into plain sentences. You tick the permissions an app asks for, and it shows what each one can do, whether a games app has any obvious use for it, and how the whole set adds up. It uses fifteen permissions, with the Android name in small print beside each, such as READ_SMS or SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW.
It reasons from permissions only. It does not look inside any app, so it says what a set of permissions could allow, never what an app does with them.
How to use it
- Open the app’s permission list. You can see it in the pop-ups the app shows and under Settings, Apps, the app, Permissions. A file from outside a store has no store page that lists them.
- Tick the same boxes in the checker above, or press one of the example sets to see a different story.
- Read the reach first, then each permission, then the combinations.
- Follow What to do, which changes with what you ticked.
The badge shows reach, not a rating of any app. Narrow means the permissions you ticked cannot do much on their own. Wide means they can read or copy a good deal. Very wide means they can read your one-time codes, act on your screen, or both. Under each permission, the checker says whether a game has a reason to ask. For the ones it might ask for, such as the camera, it suggests “Allow only while using the app”. If you ticked something you have already allowed on your own phone, the last lines say how to switch it off and what to check afterwards.
A worked example
The page opens on four ticked permissions: read your texts, notification access, accessibility service and display over other apps. Their own points add up to 110 (30, 25, 35 and 20). Five combinations add 115 more: tap for you under a cover (30), read a code and press the button that uses it (25), two ways to read your codes (20), a fake sign-in box with the code it triggers (20) and read an alert and act on it (20). The total is capped at 100, so the reach reads Very wide, and a games app has no obvious need for any of the four.
Two other sets show the range. Camera and location alone score 12, which reads Narrow, and a games app might ask for either for a feature you choose. Device administrator, install unknown apps and VPN score 60, which reads Wide. Under 25 points is Narrow, 25 to 69 is Wide and 70 or more is Very wide.
The fifteen at a glance
| Permission | Points | Games app need |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility service | 35 | No obvious need |
| Read or receive your text messages | 30 | No obvious need |
| Notification access, device administrator | 25 each | No obvious need |
| Display over other apps, install unknown apps, send text messages | 20 each | No obvious need |
| VPN service | 15 | No obvious need |
| Call history, all files | 12 each | No obvious need |
| Phone status and number | 8 | No obvious need |
| Contacts, microphone | 8 each | Rarely, for a feature you choose |
| Camera, location | 6 each | Rarely, for a feature you choose |
The pairs that matter
The strongest pair is accessibility with display over other apps (30), because one can hide or fake a screen while the other presses the buttons beneath it. Reading texts with accessibility (25) lets an app see a one-time code and type it in. Texts with notification access, notification access with accessibility, and an overlay with texts score 20 each. Device administrator with accessibility scores 20, and sending texts while reading contacts scores 20. The smaller pairs cover files, contacts and sensors.
What it cannot tell you
A Narrow result does not make an app honest, and a Wide one does not make it harmful. It cannot see code, and menus differ between phone makers. App permissions to refuse goes through the same permissions as a guide and shows how to audit your own phone. If an app will not work without the special ones, using the platform without an app file needs none of them, and the file fingerprint checker can compare a file with the code its publisher gives. If a message told you to install something, read it with the scam message checker. See all the free tools.
Common questions
Does the checker read the permissions from my phone or from an app file?
No. It reads only the boxes you tick, so it needs no file and no access to your phone. You can see what an app asks for in the pop-ups it shows and under Settings, Apps, the app, Permissions.
Why does a pair of permissions score more than the two added together?
Some powers multiply each other. An app that can read your texts and your notifications still sees a one-time code if you take one away, and one that can draw over other apps and press buttons can act under a cover. The extra points are for what the pair allows.
If an app asks for very few permissions, is it fine?
Not necessarily. A short list says the app cannot do some things, not that it does the rest honestly. The checker says what a set of permissions could allow, never what a particular app does, because it cannot see the app’s code.
Which permission should I refuse first?
Accessibility service carries the most points (35), then reading your text messages (30), then device administrator and notification access (25 each). A games app has no obvious need for any of them, so a game that asks is asking for more than playing takes.
Why do some permissions send me to a Settings screen instead of showing a pop-up?
Android keeps its strongest powers, such as accessibility, notification access and displaying over other apps, behind a switch in Settings. An app cannot flip it for you, so it has to talk you into doing it. That is a warning sign in itself.
Can I use the platform without installing an app file at all?
At the time of writing (8 October 2026), the platform’s own page offers an “Add to Desktop” prompt, which saves a shortcut to the web page rather than an app file. The guide on using it without an app file explains the steps, and a web page cannot hold the permissions listed here.