Question

Android defines a set of permissions that third-party apps can request. Permissions are categorized by sensitivity; most permissions are either “normal” or “dangerous”. Normal permissions are granted automatically, without prompting the user; dangerous permissions are presented to the user when the app is installed and the user is asked to consent to granting them.

Question: For any particular Android permission I have in mind, how can I tell whether it is a normal permission or a dangerous permission? Is there a list of dangerous permissions and a list of normal permissions?

(I know that third-party apps can declare their own permissions. I’m only asking about standard permissions. I know it may not be possible to get a 100%-complete list. I’m only looking for best-effort; something is better than nothing.)

For a related but different question, see also Where can I get a list of Android permissions (however, that’s a different question; it doesn’t at the normal vs dangerous distinction, and I don’t necessarily need a complete list).

Answer 1

Normal permissions are granted automatically, without prompting the user

AFAIK, the documentation is wrong here.

dangerous permissions are presented to the user when the app is installed and the user is asked to consent to granting them

AFAIK, all permissions have this behavior.

What this may have morphed into is that dangerous permissions are always displayed and normal permissions are ones that might be “below the fold” if there are enough dangerous ones.

For any particular Android permission I have in mind, how can I tell whether it is a normal permission or a dangerous permission? Is there a list of dangerous permissions and a list of normal permissions?

You can look at the source code.