Important points
- Google is forcing developers to use a new photo picker in their Android apps to improve privacy and security.
- Starting in mid-2024, apps unrelated to media functionality will no longer be able to request access to images/videos.
- Developers have until October 31, 2024 to comply or extend.
Google rolled out a more private media picker in Android 13 in 2022. Eventually, the company backported the new option to Android 4.4+ devices through Google Play Services. Over time, many apps have adopted new media pickers that allow you to grant access to only the photos and videos you want. Unfortunately, not all Android apps are using the new photo picker, despite Google encouraging developers to do so. The company is now taking matters into its own hands by forcing apps to adopt the new photo picker through Play Store policy changes.
related
New sideloading restrictions in Android 15 limit Google Play and third-party app stores
Android is maturing, but at what cost?
Android expert Mishaal Rahman details how Google will do this in a report for Android Authority. In October 2023, the company announced that it would begin cracking down on apps that unnecessarily request access to READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permissions from developers in mid-2024 to access media files. Then, starting in early 2025, only apps whose core functionality revolves around photos and videos will be allowed to use these two permissions. This includes galleries, image editing, or other similar apps.
According to Google’s support page, “Examples of one-time or infrequent uses of photo and video files include uploading a profile picture, uploading an image for a playlist, and uploading a photo of a check for banking purposes. These apps should not use the MEDIA_IMAGES and MEDIA_VIDEO permissions. Instead, you should use the new media picker for a more elegant and secure experience.
At I/O 2024, Google notified developers of its intention to implement these policy changes starting in August 2024. The company missed that deadline, but appears to have started cracking down on September 18, 2024. Developer permissions using the aforementioned images and videos in their apps must submit a declaration form by October 31, 2024 to confirm eligibility.
App developers can request extensions
Source: Unsplash / Android Police
Developers also have a self-service option to request a compliance deadline extension until January 22, 2025. If developers do not submit the required declarations by the end of October, app updates will be blocked.
If Google approves the extension, developers will have until January 22, 2025 to comply. If you don’t do so by then, your app will be removed from the Google Play Store. Only private and enterprise managed apps are excluded from this policy.
Overall, this change by Google is a step in the right direction, and one that developers should be jumping on already. The only problem is that the Android file picker offers a bare-bones experience, which the company needs to improve. There is currently no way to search or filter photos and videos.
