Why Do Mobile Games Ask for So Many Permissions?

Permissions decide what a game can see and do on your phone. Here is how to read the requests, spot the ones that do not belong in a game, and change them anytime.

Tap install on a mobile game and the permission requests start: location, storage, notifications, sometimes contacts or the camera. Each one is a setting that controls what the app can access and do on your device, and some games ask for far more than they need. Here is what those requests mean, which ones deserve a second look, and how to take the controls back at any time.

What Are App Permissions Exactly?

App permissions are settings that control what an app can access and do on your phone. Common ones cover your location, microphone, contacts, storage, notifications and Bluetooth connection. Android also sorts them into two broad groups: install-time permissions, which are granted automatically and listed on the store page, and runtime permissions, which the app must request from you while it runs.

A well-behaved app follows what security folks call least privilege: it takes only the access it needs to function. When a game grabs more than that, the extra permissions exist to serve someone else, often the advertising code embedded in the app.

Why Do Games Ask for Location, Storage and More?

Some permissions make sense for games, and others are about the business model. Storage access lets a game save progress and screenshots. Notifications let it tell you about events and energy refills. Augmented reality games genuinely need the camera.

The rest often traces back to ads. Most free-to-play games earn money through advertising, and developers embed ad libraries to display those ads. FTC staff looked at the top ad libraries on Android and found that on that platform, an ad library gets the same access as the app it sits inside. In other words, if you grant a game your location, the ad code in that game can use it too, because more precise data means more targeted, and more valuable, advertising. Core ad library permissions mostly just cover internet and network access, but some ask for location as well.

Which Permissions Should Raise a Red Flag?

Several permissions almost no game needs, and malware disguised as a game would love to have:

• Accessibility. Sounds harmless, but an app with it can see everything on your screen and control the device as if it were you, including reading messages and changing settings.
• Device admin. Meant for employer-managed phones, it lets an app lock the screen, change the password or delete files, and it makes the app hard to remove.
• Install unknown apps. This lets an app install other software from outside the official store. No legitimate game needs it.
• Display over other apps. An app with this can draw fake screens on top of real ones, which is a classic trick for capturing logins.

Also question contacts and microphone requests in games. If a game demands a lot of permissions it does not need to function, the FTC suggests deleting it. And if you ever suspect an app is secretly monitoring the phone, spyware can hide with bland names like “System Service,” so review the app list carefully; our guide to protecting your gaming account covers related account security steps.

How Can You Review Permissions Before You Download?

Start on the store listing. For Android apps, the details page shows an install-time permission notice listing what the app gets automatically, so read it before tapping install. Runtime permission requests arrive later, one at a time, and you can judge each one against what the game actually does.

It helps to know what kind of game you are downloading in the first place. Our rundown of mobile gaming terms explains labels like gacha, energy systems and auto-play, which signal how a game makes money and how it will ask for your attention. A game built on full-screen ads is exactly the kind most likely to want your data.

How Do You Change Permissions on Android and iOS?

Both platforms make this quick. On Android, open Settings, find the app (tap See all apps if needed), then tap Permissions and switch each one to allow or don’t allow. For location, camera and microphone, Android offers finer control: all the time, only while using the app, ask every time, or never. You can also manage permissions by type, seeing every app that has requested location, for example, and trimming the list.

Android can also clean up after you. Under the app’s settings, turn on “Pause app activity if unused” and the system automatically removes permissions from apps you stop using.

On iPhone or iPad, open Settings and scroll to the app, then toggle each permission on or off. You can also manage by category, reviewing every app that has access to location or the microphone in one place. While you are in there, check the advertising section of your privacy settings, where both Apple and Google let you opt out of personalized ads. You will still see ads; they just will not be built on your browsing history.

Pro tip

A game that stops working after you deny a permission usually just lost one feature, like saving to storage. The core game should still run, so start with the most restrictive setting and loosen it only if a feature you want breaks.

What Should You Do if a Game Misuses Your Data?

Cut off its access first. Revoke the permissions in your phone’s settings, and if the game requested a lot it did not need, delete the app entirely. Check the app’s account settings to see how it uses your information and adjust what you can.

Then report it. You can flag the app in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, and you can report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov if you lost money. If children use the device, review app permissions together and use the phone’s parental controls to require approval before new downloads; our guide to kids and gaming screen time has more on setting healthy limits.

Player questions

Do mobile games need my location?
Most do not. Location makes sense for games built around real-world maps or local player matching, but a puzzle or match-3 game has no obvious reason to know where you are.

Can a game see everything on my screen?
Not normally, but an app with accessibility permission can view what happens on screen and control the device. The FTC also warns that spyware can hide on a phone with innocent-sounding names.

Will a game stop working if I deny a permission?
Usually not. Features tied to that permission may not work, such as saving screenshots to storage, but the core game should run fine.

Who can I report a problematic game to?
You can report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and you can flag the app in the Google Play or Apple App Store where you downloaded it.

Games, platforms and settings change with updates, so check the official help pages for your platform if something looks different.