Once again you’ve downloaded a new app on your trusty Android phone, but every time you open that app, it sends notification that states you must turn on camera and microphone permissions in the settings. Essentially, some apps don’t function without enabling these (required) permissions. So you’re stuck toggling on these permissions anyway. However, thanks to the continuous privacy and security updates from Android OS, you can now at least control how often and when it can be used. Other times, you may prefer to visit the permissions manager to rescind permissions from data-hungry apps. Either way, we recommend learning how to access the permission manager from the Privacy Dashboard. To help get you started, we will teach you how to manage your camera and mic permissions on any dependable Android phone.

How to manage your camera and mic permissions on your Android phone

You can manage your camera and mic permissions on a per-app basis or turn on (or off) a toggle that handles all your app’s permissions in one go. Your first stop is to navigate through your device’s settings; your settings will then direct you to your apps list, and tapping each app will open up the listed permissions you can allow or deny.

Google and Samsung have Privacy Dashboards that will also display every permission and app and how it interacts with those permissions turned on. The Dashboard presents the bigger picture of what’s going on (with your data). Plus, the Dashboard makes allowing or denying optional permissions from the same page easy. By having full control of your apps, you can prevent any of these apps from going rogue with your personal data. So to get started, read below. In this example, we use Samsung Galaxy S23, running One UI 5.1 and Android 13.

1. On your Android phone, visit the gear icon to open Settings.
2. Tap Security and privacy.
3. Tap Privacy.

4. To turn on or off Camera access and Microphone access, tap on the toggle under Controls and alerts.
5. To allow or deny camera and microphone permissions for specific apps, tap Permission manager.

6. Scroll down the Permission manager page and tap Camera.
7. Tap on an app under Not allowed; select Allow only while using the app. You can also navigate to Allowed only while in use to tap on an app to deny the permissions.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to manage your microphone settings by tapping on Microphone in the Permission manager.

The permission manager will always be the first stop for changing permissions. Denying a required permission may prompt a warning message that your device or app may no longer function as intended, and in those cases, we recommend keeping those permissions turned on.

Managing your privacy and security

Blindly accepting permissions for every app can sometimes lead to trouble. Even if it’s Google, trusting any app with your personal information isn’t recommended. So it’s best to take control over your digital privacy by frequently visiting the permissions manager, even in some cases you’ve auto-approved those apps (to access your location, camera, microphone, for example) in the past. When you’re trying to learn something spoofy that’s going on with your data, Android has built-in transparency to locate the truth behind an app’s activity. Once the (unpleasant) truth gets revealed, it might be time to remove some of that bloatware that’s taking up space on your phone.