Gaining control over app permissions has long been the most requested feature in android. While some level of permissions controls were introduced in Marshmallow, cyanogen goes a whole lot further. With the privacy Guard feature, found in Settings>privacy, you can allow or revoke permissions on an app-by-app basis. So, if you don’t want a wallpaper app rooting through your contacts, or a game tracking your location, you can now prevent it. It’s important to note that Privacy Guard can interfere with the functioning of certain apps. Most will be fine, but some may crash or otherwise stop working if they cannot access the data that they need. If you experience this, we’d recommend finding an alternative app with less aggressive permissions requirements, rather than simply allowing the app to grab as much data from your phone as it can.
Steps To Get Protected:-
- Activate Privacy Guard
For most users, Privacy Guard will be turned off by default, so you need to head into the settings to activate it. Go to Settings>Privacy and open Privacy Guard. Tap ‘Enabled by default’ to turn it on.
- Configure your apps
You’ll see all your apps listed (tap the three dots icon for an option to control built-in apps too). Tap the shield icon next to the app name to turn Privacy Guard on for specific apps – it’ll be on automatically for new apps from now on.
- Allow, deny, or ask?
Tap the app to fine-tune your controls. Some permissions have a Yes/No option; others can be configured to Allow, Ignore or Always ask. You can also see how many times the app has used each permission.
- Grant permission
By default, new apps will request permissions every time they need them. When the app is open, a box will appear asking you to allow or deny the request. To avoid being overloaded with requests, tick the ‘Remember my choice’ box.
- Reset the permissions
If you have problems with some apps not working, you can roll back individual permissions. Alternatively, tap the Reset button at the top of the Privacy Guard interface to reset everything and start again with your controls.
