Rumor: Google is giving Android users more app permission control

It’s great that Android warns us about which bits of our information an app is going to access, but that means very little when the only way to prevent the app from accessing these things is to not install it, even if the information isn’t necessary for the app to function. The good news is that Google is reportedly going to be adding features to Android in the near future that will allow you to pick and choose what an app can access. 

Google Inc. is planning to give its mobile users more control over what information applications can access, people familiar with the matter said. Google’s Android operating system is set to give users more detailed choices over what apps can access, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter remains private. That could include photos, contacts or location. An announcement of the change, which would put Android closer in line with Apple Inc.’s iOS, is expected for Google’s developer’s conference in San Francisco this month, one of the people said. The Mountain View, California-based company last year simplified how people are informed about what an app is accessing. Users decide whether the app can be downloaded. The new settings would give users the option to pick and choose what an app can access. Google is adding features to its mobile services as it seeks to attract users who increasingly are going online via their wireless gadgets. Android had 81 percent of the global smartphone market in 2014 while Apple’s iOS had 15 percent, according Gartner Inc.