TL; PhD
- Google will soon extend the automatic reset function of Android 11 application permissions to old devices.
- Starting in December, this feature will be added to phones running Android 6.0 or higher.
- It will complete the deployment on these devices in the first quarter of 2022.
Generally, if you have an older Android phone or tablet, the update of these phones will end in a few years. However, Google just announced that it will add a nice security feature, which is introduced in Android 11, and is suitable for any device with Google Play services running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and higher.
The security feature is the automatic reset of application permissions. If you haven’t used the app for several months, Android 11 will continue and reset its permissions. When you decide to launch the app on your phone or tablet, it will ask you to re-enable these permissions again, such as location or access to your contacts or media. It provides additional privacy and security for any application that might try to track you or use your phone, even if the application is not actively used.
related: Experience the privacy dashboard for yourself, one of the best new features of Android 12
Well, this nice feature will be launched in December for phones using Android 6.0 or higher. Although automatic permission reset is enabled on Android 11 by default, users can manually set this feature for all old phones.
There are some exceptions, such as applications run by remote administrators for corporate customers. In addition, developers can ask users if they want to disable the automatic reset function for applications on old phones. Nonetheless, this is a nice surprise for people using old phones, especially if you are using some of Google’s Nexus phones or tablets.