Glossary · Photo permission on Android
How does photo permission work on Android?
Short answer
Photo permission on Android is the system control that decides whether an app can see your pictures. Since Android 13 apps ask for images specifically, and Android 14 added a choice to share only selected photos. Reading is one permission; deleting or editing a photo the app did not create needs a separate system confirmation each time.
Last updated
What options do I see when an app asks for photos?
| Prompt option | What the app can see | Android version |
|---|---|---|
| Allow all | Every photo in the shared gallery | 13 and later (images only) |
| Select photos and videos | Only the items you pick, re-askable later | 14 and later |
| Don't allow | Nothing; the app may offer the photo picker | All |
| Allow (storage) | Photos plus other shared files | 12 and earlier |
Before Android 13, one storage permission covered photos, music and documents together. Android 13 split it into separate media permissions, so a photo app no longer needs to see your audio files.
What is the photo picker, and when is it enough?
The system photo picker is a Google-built screen that lets you hand an app individual photos without granting any gallery permission. It suits apps that need one picture at a time, such as a profile photo. A cleaner cannot work this way, because its job is to look across the whole gallery for groups and junk. Picking photos one by one for it would defeat the point, since finding the repeats is the work you want done.
With 'Select photos and videos' on Android 14, a cleaner sees only the chosen items. That is a reasonable way to try one on a single album, as described in partial photo access.
Why does Android ask again when an app deletes photos?
Since Android 11, an app that wants to delete, trash or change media it did not create must ask through MediaStore, and the system shows its own dialog listing the items. You tap Allow for that batch, or nothing happens. This is a platform rule, not a courtesy, so even an app with full read access cannot quietly erase pictures.
The same mechanism can move items to the system trash instead of deleting them outright, which keeps them recoverable for a period. See MediaStore for how the gallery index works.
How do I change or remove a permission?
- Open Settings > Apps and choose the app.
- Open Permissions and select the Photos and videos entry.
- Pick Allow all, Allow limited access, or Don't allow.
Android may also reset permissions for apps you have not opened in months, a feature that quietly limits what forgotten apps can reach. GalleryJury, an Android cleaner coming soon to Google Play, asks for photo access to find bursts, near-identical copies and junk screenshots, and every deletion still goes through the system's confirmation, with removed items sent to the phone's trash first.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to give a cleaner full photo access?
It lets the app read every photo, so check its Data safety section and privacy policy for what leaves the phone. Deleting still needs your confirmation either way.
Why can't I see 'Select photos' on my phone?
That option arrived with Android 14. On Android 13 the choice is all images or none, and older phones use the general storage permission.
Sources
- Android Developers: Grant partial access to photos and videos (Android 14) (checked 31 October 2026)
- Android Developers: MediaStore reference (checked 31 October 2026)
- Android Developers: MediaStore.MediaColumns (IS_TRASHED, DATE_EXPIRES) (checked 31 October 2026)
Related
More in Photo cleanup terms
GalleryJury is coming soon to Android
It keeps the best shot from every burst and clears the clutter around it. 50 free photos to try, then $5 for 5,000 photos or $15 for 20,000. Pay once, nothing renews. No subscription.