Runtime Permissions
ANDROID › System
Requesting, checking, and gracefully handling Android runtime permissions and modern privacy rules.
Runtime permissions are a staple of Android interviews because they touch UX, lifecycle, and privacy law all at once. Interviewers probe whether you know the modern AndroidX request flow (registerForActivityResult, not the deprecated request-code API), how to detect and handle permanent denial, and the newer privacy features like approximate location, one-time grants, and scoped storage. Expect to explain the full decision tree from checkSelfPermission to graceful degradation.
What this covers
- Difference between install-time (normal/signature) and runtime (dangerous) permissions, plus special app-access permissions
- The modern request flow: checkSelfPermission, registerForActivityResult with ActivityResultContracts
- How shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale works and when it returns true vs false
- Detecting and handling permanent ('don't ask again' / double-deny) denial by routing to Settings
- Location nuances: foreground vs background, approximate (coarse) vs precise (fine), one-time grants
- Scoped storage basics and why broad storage permissions are mostly obsolete
Study this topic
- Runtime Permissions explained: the guided lesson
- 14 practice quiz questions
- 9 revision flashcards
- Runtime Permissions interview questions and answers