Why Does AnySoftKeyboard Requires Extra Permissions
Menny Even Danan edited this page Feb 23, 2016
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3 revisions
I'll start by saying that, as a keyboard, AnySoftKeyboard does not require any special permission. It can safely operate with no permissions.
Saying that, in order to provide the users with greater personalization and productivity, AnySoftKeyboard asks for the following permissions:
- Read Contacts - this permission is used to read the user's contacts stored on the device. AnySoftKeyboard is using this information to provide you with a personalized word suggestion: while you type a word, we look for similar words to auto-complete and auto-correct your typing. Having your contacts names helps AnySoftKeyboard go beyond the traditional language dictionary (for example, auto correcting your friends' names etc.). You can turn-off Contacts Dictionary in AnySoftKeyboard settings, if you like.
- Read/Write to External Storage - this permission is used for backup and restore functionality. AnySoftKeyboard can backup your personal User-Dictionary (words that you have added to AnySoftKeyboard dictionary).
_Notice:_ The _Release_ version _does not_ have _Internet_ permission, so it can not send any of the data (contacts or SDCard files) to anywhere outside your phone!
In addition to the permissions above, the Beta release also requires:
- Internet - this is used for analytics. The beta release is prone to crashes and bugs, so AnySoftKeyboard is recording crashes and error states and report those automatically. Again, this is only for the Beta version and not for the Release/Production version.
_Note:_ Full list of permissions can be extracted from the [AndroidManifest.xml](https://github.com/AnySoftKeyboard/AnySoftKeyboard/blob/master/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml) file. And from the _beta_ version of [it](https://github.com/AnySoftKeyboard/AnySoftKeyboard/blob/master/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml).