Android and Privacy, these two words when combined have their own good and bad.
Google has been increasingly adding new security and privacy features in every iteration of its Android OS. And in Android 12, a new feature called privacy dashboard is going to make things better in terms of added privacy.
The feature will allow users to keep an eye on the apps that access permissions to camera, location or microphone, to name a few.
There is no confirmation from Google that this feature will make its way to older Android versions.
But unofficially, now it is possible.
An app called ‘Privacy Dashboard’ is available in Google PlayStore and it has the same look and feel, compared to the official one.
It also lets you track the app permissions in the same way as the Google one, and can be installed on any Android phone (versions 7.0 and up).
Features in a nut-shell
Main features of the Privacy Dashboard app:
- Privacy Indicators (permission icon will appear in the top-right corner when permission is used)
- Light/Dark Theme.
- Dashboard for 24 hours app usage on the home screen.
- Detailed view of permission/app usage.
- No unnecessary permissions.
Created by an Indian based Android developer Rushikesh Kamewar, the app is free to use. It also doesn’t contain any bombarding ads even though it is made for free.
How to set up the app on any Android phone?
Follow the steps below to install and set the ‘Privacy Dashboard’ on your Android smartphone.
- Download and install the app from PlayStore.
- Open the app and make sure you allow ‘Location and Accessibility’ permissions. When prompted for it, select ‘Allow’.
Note: If the prompt for allowing ‘Accessibility’ permission is not shown, manual provide the permission for this app.
That’s it. The app is set up and running.
- When you open any app that uses permissions to camera, microphone, etc. you will see a privacy indicators (green icons in top right of your screen), which will show a microphone or location icon in the upper right corner to alert you.
- The ‘Privacy Dashboard’ also shows you the number of apps that has accessed permissions to various actions in your smartphone.
And that’s how you install the ‘Privacy Dashboard’ app in your Android smartphone and make it look exactly like an in-built Android 12 feature.
But there is one catch with this app.
The Privacy Dashboard app focuses on apps running in the foreground, and not the background apps. For example, if System UI, launcher, or keyboard is running over the main app, the Privacy Dashboard app may mistakenly log those apps as using the permission instead of the main app.
So keep a note of this.
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