Managing Runtime Permissions with PermissionsDispatcher

Overview

As of API 23 (Marshmallow), the permission model for Android has changed significantly. Now, rather than all being setup at install-time, certain dangerous permissions must be checked and activated at runtime instead.

For a full breakdown of how runtime permissions work, check out the understanding app permissions guide. This guide is focused on the practical approach for managing runtime permissions, requesting access to a feature, and managing error cases where the permission is denied.

The easiest way to manage runtime permissions is by using third-party libraries. In this guide, we will be taking a look at the PermissionsDispatcher library. The library is 100% reflection-free and as such does not cause significant performance penalties.

Dangerous Permissions

First, we need to recognize the dangerous permissions that require us to request runtime permissions. This includes but is not limited to the following common permissions:

Name	Description
Manifest.permission.READ_CALENDAR	Read calendar events
Manifest.permission.WRITE_CALENDAR	Write calendar events
Manifest.permission.CAMERA	Access camera object
Manifest.permission.READ_CONTACTS	Read phone contacts
Manifest.permission.WRITE_CONTACTS	Write phone contacts
Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION	Access precise location
Manifest.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION	Access general location
Manifest.permission.RECORD_AUDIO	Record with microphone
Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE	Call using the dialer
Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE	Read external or SD
Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE	Write to external or SD

The full list of dangerous permissions contains all permissions that require runtime management. Please note that permissions in the normal permission group do not require run-time checks as outlined here.

Installation

Make sure to upgrade to the latest Gradle version.

And on your app module in app/build.gradle:

dependencies {
  implementation 'com.github.hotchemi:permissionsdispatcher:3.1.0'
  annotationProcessor 'com.github.hotchemi:permissionsdispatcher-processor:3.1.0'
}

Be sure to use the latest version: available.

Usage

Suppose we wanted to record be able to call a number using the phone's dialer. Since this is a dangerous permission, we need to ask the user for the permission at runtime with the Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE permission. This requires us to do the following:

1. Annotate the activity or fragment with @RuntimePermissions
2. Annotate the method that requires the permission with @NeedsPermission
3. Delegate the permissions events to a compiled helper class
4. Invoke the helper class in order to trigger the action with permission request
5. Optional: Annotate a method which explains the reasoning with a dialog
6. Optional: Annotate a method which fires if the permission is denied
7. Optional: Annotate a method which fires if the permission will never be asked for again.

First, we need to annotate the activity or fragment with @RuntimePermissions:

@RuntimePermissions
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
  // ...
}

Next, we need to annotate the method that requires the permission with @NeedsPermission tag:

@RuntimePermissions
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    @NeedsPermission(Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE)
    void callPhone() {
        // Trigger the calling of a number here
    }
}

After compiling the project, we need to delegate the permission events to the generated helper class ([Activity Name] + PermissionsDispatcher):

@RuntimePermissions
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    // ...
    @Override
    public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, String[] permissions, int[] grantResults) {
        super.onRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults);
        // NOTE: delegate the permission handling to generated method
        MainActivityPermissionsDispatcher.onRequestPermissionsResult(this, requestCode, grantResults);
    }
}

In the code base, we can trigger the call with the appropriate runtime permission checks using the generated methods suffixed with WithCheck on the helper class:

// NOTE: delegate the permission handling to generated method
MainActivityPermissionsDispatcher.callPhoneWithPermissionCheck(this);

This will invoke the callPhone method wrapped with the appropriate permission checks.

Permission Event Handling

We can also optionally configure the rationale dialog, handle the denial of a permission or manage when the user requests never to be asked again:

@RuntimePermissions
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    // ...

    // Annotate a method which explains why the permission/s is/are needed. 
    // It passes in a `PermissionRequest` object which can continue or abort the current permission
    @OnShowRationale(Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE)
    void showRationaleForPhoneCall(PermissionRequest request) {
        new AlertDialog.Builder(this)
            .setMessage(R.string.permission_phone_rationale)
            .setPositiveButton(R.string.button_allow, (dialog, button) -> request.proceed())
            .setNegativeButton(R.string.button_deny, (dialog, button) -> request.cancel())
            .show();
    }

    // Annotate a method which is invoked if the user doesn't grant the permissions
    @OnPermissionDenied(Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE)
    void showDeniedForPhoneCall() {
        Toast.makeText(this, R.string.permission_call_denied, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }

    // Annotates a method which is invoked if the user 
    // chose to have the device "never ask again" about a permission
    @OnNeverAskAgain(Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE)
    void showNeverAskForPhoneCall() {
        Toast.makeText(this, R.string.permission_call_neverask, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }
}

With that we can easily handle all of our runtime permission needs.

Alternatives

In addition the the PermissionsDispatcher outlined above, there are many other popular permissions libraries with various APIs and alternate designs including the following:

• Dexter
• easypermissions
• let
• AndroidPermissions
• Grant
• Assent
• Ask

A full list of permissions libraries can be found here.

References

• https://github.com/hotchemi/PermissionsDispatcher