Google Will Soon Remove Unapproved Apps That Use Call Log / SMS Permissions From Play Store

Android as an operating system was developed with safety and security in mind. Over the years, operations within the OS have become very complex, the protection of sensitive user data has become a top priority. Late last year, Google announced a major update to boost security on apps available on the Play Store. The company found that certain types of applications do not need access to user data to function properly. Therefore, the company asked application developers to update respective applications to comply with new Play Store policies. 

New Call Log/SMS Permission Policy

The new Google Play Store policy is designed to ensure that an application that has access to Call Log/SMS is manually approved by the device administrator. The company granted a 90-day window to the developers to either update their apps as per the new policy or submit a permissions declaration. 

Developers that fail to choose either option will result in removal of their application from the Play Store. Google has, however, provided an option even for the developers who fail to do so. Even after the removal from the play store, the developer has the following options available:

• submit a new version of the application with these permissions.
• submit a new version of your app that retains the permissions. Doing so will require you to complete a permissions declaration form inside the Play Console (coming soon) and will give developers an extension until March 9th to remove the permissions or receive approval for their use case.

Benefits Of New Policy

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Apparently, Google has taken this step to improve the user’s confidence in the security of Android OS. The users will be able to manually select applications that have access to their sensitive data in the form of Call logs and SMS.