Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) introduced a significant change in the way applications request and obtain permissions to access various features and data on an Android device. Instead of being granted permissions at install time, apps are now required to request permissions at runtime. As a developer or user, there may be scenarios where you want to programmatically direct users to the permission screen for a specific app to help them easily manage these runtime permissions. This article provides a detailed explanation of how to do that in an Android application.

Understanding Android's Permission Model

In versions prior to Android 6.0, permissions were declared in the AndroidManifest.xml file and users had to agree to all permissions at install time. With Android 6.0 and beyond:

• Runtime Permissions: Permissions are requested while the application is running, not during installation.
• Permission Groups: Permissions are grouped for user understanding, e.g., Camera permission group.
• App-Specific Control: Users can allow or deny different permissions for an app individually.

Opening the App's Permission Screen

To open the application's permission screen in Android 6.0, you can use an Intent to direct users to the app-specific settings page. This is done using the ACTION_APPLICATION_DETAILS_SETTINGS action.

Technical Implementation

Here’s a step-by-step guide with code examples on how to achieve this:

1. Create an Intent: Use the Intent.ACTION_APPLICATION_DETAILS_SETTINGS action with the package name of the app.
2. Specify Data for the Intent: Append the package name as a URI to ensure that the settings for your specific app are opened.
3. Start Activity with the Intent: Ensure you have a valid context (such as an Activity or Context) to launch the Intent.

1import android.content.Intent;
2import android.net.Uri;
3import android.provider.Settings;
4import android.content.Context;
5
6// Use the following method in an Activity or wherever you have access to a Context
7public void openAppPermissions(Context context, String packageName) {
8    Intent intent = new Intent(Settings.ACTION_APPLICATION_DETAILS_SETTINGS);
9    Uri uri = Uri.fromParts("package", packageName, null);
10    intent.setData(uri);
11    context.startActivity(intent);
12}

Usage Example

To utilize the above method to open the permission screen for your app, you would call openAppPermissions(this, getPackageName()); within an Activity.

Handling User Redirection

When directing the user to the permission screen, it is essential to properly inform them why they are being redirected. Make sure to provide appropriate messaging within the application, either via a dialog or other UI component.

Additional Considerations

Checking Permission State

Before redirecting users to manage permissions, it's beneficial to verify whether the permissions are already granted. This can be achieved using the ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission() method.

1import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
2import android.Manifest;
3import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat;
4
5// Check if a specific permission is granted
6public boolean isPermissionGranted(Context context, String permission) {
7    return ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(context, permission) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
8}

Handling Results Post Redirection

Upon returning to the app from the permission screen, you may want to check if the necessary permissions have been granted and act accordingly. This can be handled in the onResume() method of your Activity.

1@Override
2protected void onResume() {
3    super.onResume();
4    // Recheck permissions
5    if (isPermissionGranted(this, Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE)) {
6        // Permission granted, proceed with the task
7    } else {
8        // Permission denied, handle appropriately
9    }
10}

Summary Table

Below is a summary table of key concepts and methods discussed in this guide:

By methodically following the steps presented in this article, you can ensure that your Android application provides a seamless and user-friendly mechanism for managing app permissions.