I have a published Android App on the Google Play store (La Paz Intermediate) Link: http://bit.ly/1DaWQv3 I've been programming for 3 years and I just started building apps in November. I use Eclipse 4.4 for Mac OS X. The iOS App has been approved and my client likes it. However, my client doesn't like how the Android app has so many needed permissions. I'm not collecting any data with my apps. Just simple apps showing school information. I want my app to work like the UCLA app(screenshot can be seen with link above) where there are no special permissions required. Or at the very least, does anyone know how I can make the list of permissions shorter. I do have a Terms of Use document embedded in the home screen of my app. I am using a Terms of Use I modified from somewhere else. Does anyone know a good Tech attorney that I can use to create a Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for me? As always, thanks Buzztouch community for an amazing app building experience!

Within Eclipse, if you open up the Android manifest - there is a tab for "permissions". By default this will include a raft of permissions you maybe do not need/require. I generally open that tab and selectively remove the ones I know I do not need; testing as I go to make sure the app still functions - until I have the minimum needed. Hope that helps.

@rburns50 is right on the money. You need to modify your AndroidManifest.xml file. There is a list of permissions that, by default, looks like this: <!-- required device permissions --> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.GET_ACCOUNTS" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_CONTACTS" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_CONTACTS" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS_FULL" /> Just comment out or delete the ones you don't need! Mark

Ive learned the permissions not needed can hurt downloads.good thing to do!

I can only shake my head in agreement with Rburns, GNW, and Chris. I would counsel you to test the app after removing the 'unneeded' permissions; I've found a couple that I needed even though I didn't 'think' I did. Remove what you don't need, but test thoroughly after. Cheers! -- Smug

Absolutely agree with Chris and Smug. Testing is super important. And there are indeed many people, like @Fred from back in the day, who absolutely won't download an app unless the permissions are only what's needed for the app. Mark

You may want to study how Google treats and shows permissions, for instance here: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6014972?p=app_permissions&rd=1 Here you can see how a popular app fully discloses what they do with your data: https://soundcloud.com/pages/privacy Your mileage will vary, naturally.

For your Terms of Use and Privacy items, you had asked for a good Tech Attorney. At the iOS Dev Showcase Meetup near John Wayne Airport, we heard from Ross Meador and his partner Eric on lots of technology related items. They talked about forming an appropriate business for startups, such as LLC, Sole Proprietorship, Class C or S, etc. They also talked a lot about Copyright and Intellectual Property protection. I was very impressed with Ross and Eric. They are upfront with you on when it's appropriate to use their services versus simply going to an Internet source. Give Ross a phone call, he is a good guy who is very local to us. His office is located in a co-working facility that is primarily populated with technology startups ... very appropriate! http://techlawllp.com/about-us/ross-d-meador-2/ http://www.meetup.com/OCiOSDev/members/45334322/ Also, join the iOS Dev Showcase Meetup for the monthly meetings. It's 100% free, even the food! Fantastic people, great sharing of information from the presenters and a good way to network with Founders, Devs, Project Managers and Recruiters. http://www.meetup.com/OCiOSDev/events/200523172/ When you call Ross, please tell him a Meetup member referred you and that we appreciated his very informative keynote. A smile will quickly appear! -- Niraj

@rburns50 & @GoNorthWest- Thanks for the feedback. I got the problem fixed and updated my .apk the same day. Your help made it look like I know what I'm doing. Thanks! It was when I saw the list of permissions at the top of the code, that have literally been staring at me this entire time, when I realized I need to spend some more time reading the code. Thanks everyone else. I'm digging through the other information to get more informed in this topic. @Niraj - That's some great info. I'm already signed up. The topics at the last meeting are exactly the topics I'm interested in. Ross seems to be the person I'm looking for. Thanks again!