Google removes ‘Permissions’ list from Play Store app listings

While on the one hand, Google has introduced a new “Data Safety” section on the Play Store to provide users with more information about how apps use their data, on the other, the company is removing crucial details from app listings. In March this year, Google removed the ‘Updated on’ section from Play Store listings for some users. Now, it’s getting rid of the ‘Permissions’ list.

For the unaware, app listings on the Google Play Store include a ‘Permissions’ section that lists all the permissions required by each app. It lets users easily check all permissions required by an app without installing it on their device, making it a handy feature for privacy-conscious users. However, according to Mishaal Rahman, Google seems to have removed it from Play Store listings for all apps.

With the launch of the Data Safety section on Google Play, which will be mandatory for all apps in 1 week, it seems the app permissions list is going away in both the mobile app and the web.

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) July 13, 2022

In a recent tweet, Rahman shared screenshots of the Play Store listing for the Facebook app before and after the change went into effect. As you can see, the updated listing no longer shows the ‘Permissions’ list, so you can no longer check the app permissions before installing the app.

We’re not sure why Google has gone ahead with this change, and the company is yet to release an official statement on the matter. But we suspect it has something to do with the new Play Store Data Safety section, which is currently rolling out to users. The new Data Safety section provides users with information about how apps use their data in the Play Store listing. The information provided in the Data Safety section is a bit easier to digest for the average user, making it a bit more useful than the Permissions list, which doesn’t offer an explanation for the required permissions.

Those with a fair understanding of Android app permissions can still access the information by using the Aurora Store, a FOSS Google Play Client, or by inspecting the app’s manifest.

The post Google removes ‘Permissions’ list from Play Store app listings appeared first on XDA.

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