Kidoz plugin adds WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission unnecessarily

Solar2D Android
#1

In apps using the Kidoz Corona plugin, the manifest automatically includes this permission:

<uses-permission android:name=“android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE”/>

If I just use Admob, that permission isn’t added.

Why is this an issue? Because the permission alert is shown at startup for certain versions of Android, affecting quite a large percentage of my users. This is reported in Android Vitals, putting my apps in bottom 20%.

According to Rina @ Kidoz, this permission is not needed for their plugin.

Could you please remove it from the manifest when using the Kidoz plugin?

Cheers,

Per

#2

Vungle plugin does the same thing but is also not required and ads still work.  In fact I’ve not had a request for storage access (it shows disabled in the app listing) and I only get prompted if I try and save a screenshot to storage.

Also, unlike you, I get no data in vitals for permissions?

#3

I’m guessing (literally) that it is only older versions of Android which show the permissions request. The permission denials page shows only two versions reporting this, 7.0 and 6.0.1.

If this was users rejecting the permission at the time of saving a screenshot, then I assume it would have been reported on many different versions.

But regardless, if a plugin does not need a permission to work, it should not add it to the manifest imho.

SGS: I have it in vitals only for my most popular apps. I think it is only a small subset that report such data, and if you don’t have enough users it won’t show?

#4

Google changed their permission system starting with 6.0 to a runtime request system. Prior to 6.0, permissions were listed on the Google Play web page for the app and users made a decision regarding permissions before they ever installed your app. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re only seeing denials on 6.0 and later.

Rob

#5

@per I looked at an app with well over 2 million downloads on GP and the results are empty. 

Now maybe as the user is pressing a button to take a screenshot then they have no issues giving permission at that point and therefore I actually have zero permission denials?

#6

For me it is only showing on apps with over 4K daily, and only detailed chart on a single app with 20K daily. I’m guessing it is something they only started collecting recently. But maybe I’m just a guinea pig and this isn’t available to everyone, who knows?

#7

20K daily is kinda epic… what’s the URL?

#8

*blush*

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.appfamily.superpuzzlefree

Mind you, vast majority of downloads are in Asian hard-to-monetize countries…

#9

Aw man, never be ashamed of success!  Congrats on 10+ million downloads!

If you wanna chat monetisation, happy to do that on a more private channel.

#10

I would like to join this monetization chat group.

#11

Rina at Kidoz reports that Corona has removed the permission requirement when building with Kidoz plugin. Don’t know when it takes effect, but this thread can be archived.

#12

I’ll check into this.

#13

Vungle plugin does the same thing but is also not required and ads still work.  In fact I’ve not had a request for storage access (it shows disabled in the app listing) and I only get prompted if I try and save a screenshot to storage.

Also, unlike you, I get no data in vitals for permissions?

#14

I’m guessing (literally) that it is only older versions of Android which show the permissions request. The permission denials page shows only two versions reporting this, 7.0 and 6.0.1.

If this was users rejecting the permission at the time of saving a screenshot, then I assume it would have been reported on many different versions.

But regardless, if a plugin does not need a permission to work, it should not add it to the manifest imho.

SGS: I have it in vitals only for my most popular apps. I think it is only a small subset that report such data, and if you don’t have enough users it won’t show?

#15

Google changed their permission system starting with 6.0 to a runtime request system. Prior to 6.0, permissions were listed on the Google Play web page for the app and users made a decision regarding permissions before they ever installed your app. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re only seeing denials on 6.0 and later.

Rob

#16

@per I looked at an app with well over 2 million downloads on GP and the results are empty. 

Now maybe as the user is pressing a button to take a screenshot then they have no issues giving permission at that point and therefore I actually have zero permission denials?

#17

For me it is only showing on apps with over 4K daily, and only detailed chart on a single app with 20K daily. I’m guessing it is something they only started collecting recently. But maybe I’m just a guinea pig and this isn’t available to everyone, who knows?

#18

20K daily is kinda epic… what’s the URL?

#19

*blush*

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.appfamily.superpuzzlefree

Mind you, vast majority of downloads are in Asian hard-to-monetize countries…

#20

Aw man, never be ashamed of success!  Congrats on 10+ million downloads!

If you wanna chat monetisation, happy to do that on a more private channel.