Gadgetbridge

12 Permissions Explained

Gadgetbridge requires a ton of permissions, because it forwards most of what is going on on the phone to the wearable and therefore it needs access to the data: call logs, phone state, sms... Wearable devices ever since allowed for example calendar syncing, therefore access to calendar must exist and so on. One notable permission is access to location, which is caused by Android permission system: Because discoverable devices might reveal information about the user's location, the device discovery process requires location access.

To ensure that none of the accessed data is ever forwarded anywhere, Gadgetbridge does not have (and will not have) Android network permission, which means that Gadgetbridge has no means of sending any data anywhere. This is one of the most critical safeguards in the Gadgetbridge permission system.

Used for Bluetooth access

These permissions are needed to discover and connect to Bluetooth devices. Because discoverable devices might reveal information about the user's location, the device discovery process requires location access.

android.permission.BLUETOOTH
- Allows applications to connect to paired bluetooth devices. https://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission#BLUETOOTH
android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN
- Allows applications to discover and pair bluetooth devices. https://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission#BLUETOOTH_ADMIN
android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION
- Because discoverable devices might reveal information about the user's location, the device discovery process requires location access. https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth-le.html#permissions

Since Android 10, more permissions are required

This is to indicate access to user data, such a call log, calls, contacts and more.

android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
- Because discoverable devices might reveal information about the user's location, the device discovery process requires location access. https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth-le.html#permissions
android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION
- "Only when the app is open" is unsuitable because GB needs to sometimes scan in a background worker.
- Because discoverable devices might reveal information about the user's location, the device discovery process requires location access. https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth-le.html#permissions
android.permission.READ_CALL_LOG
android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE
android.permission.PROCESS_OUTGOING_CALLS
android.permission.ACCESS_NOTIFICATION_POLICY
android.permission.CALL_PHONE
android.permission.ANSWER_PHONE_CALLS
- Call control, such as hanging up
android.permission.RECEIVE_SMS
android.permission.SEND_SMS
android.permission.READ_CONTACTS
android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
android.permission.READ_CALENDAR
- Calendar event sync
android.permission.MEDIA_CONTENT_CONTROL

Used for background service

Top keep the Bluetooth connection running even is the app is not in direct usage by the user at the moment, it needs services to keep it from being killed by the system.

android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE
android.permission.REQUEST_COMPANION_RUN_IN_BACKGROUND
- This is used to (re)start the background service while also being in the background, read more here Companion Device Pairing