Files and Privacy

Files and Privacy

Your files

Android apps see the shared folders a phone has. On Mac.apk those are your real Mac folders:

In the app	On your Mac
Pictures	~/Pictures
Movies	~/Movies
Music	~/Music
Download	~/Downloads
Documents	~/Documents

Every app shares them, the same as on a phone, so a photo one app saves shows up in Finder and in other apps. Each app's private data stays inside the app itself (see How Apps Are Installed).

Photos

A gallery app asks for Android's photos permission first. Once you allow it, the app shows the pictures in those folders and your Photos library. Photos access is read-only: an Android app can view your Photos library but never change or delete anything in it.

File managers

A file manager needs Android's All files access, which Mac.apk asks for the same way Android does.

Two layers of permission

Android apps on Mac.apk go through Android's permission prompts and, on top of those, macOS's own. macOS asks once per app before it lets the app read your Photos library, Documents or Downloads.

Note

Be choosy about which apps you let in. Android's permissions cover an app's Java code, but an app with native code can read the shared folders without asking. macOS's prompts still protect Documents, Downloads, Desktop and your Photos library. An Android app runs with your user account's permissions like any other Mac app, so only install APKs you trust.

Location

Apps that use your location get your Mac's, from macOS Location Services. The first time an app asks, Mac.apk asks whether that app may use your location, the same as Android does. macOS also asks once whether Mac.apk Location may use Location Services. You can change the macOS side in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.

Microphone

Apps that record audio use your Mac's microphone, and macOS asks before an app can use it. To turn the microphone off for an app completely, set MACAPK_MIC=0. See Flags Reference.