Introduction
“Allow” or “Deny” was a terrible choice. Grant a weather app your location, and it had it forever. Grant a messaging app camera access for one photo, and it could access your camera anytime. The binary permission model treated every grant as permanent.
Android 11 (2020) added a third option: “Only this time.” Grant camera, microphone, or location access for a single session. The permission auto-revokes when the app is closed. It was the middle ground users needed.
How It Works
When an app requests a one-time permission:
- The system dialog shows three options: “While using the app,” “Only this time,” and “Deny”
- Choosing “Only this time” grants the permission temporarily
- The permission is revoked when:
- The app’s process is killed (user swipes it away from Recents)
- A short timeout expires (for background usage)
- The user locks the screen (for camera, in some implementations)
The app must handle permission revocation gracefully. Next time it needs the permission, it must request again.
Adoption
Google reported that 65% of users chose “Only this time” for camera and location permissions when offered. The feature was immediately popular — users wanted temporary access, not perpetual access.
The Evolution
One-time permissions expanded in later Android versions:
- Android 12: Approximate location option — grant city-level location instead of GPS-precision
- Android 13: Notification permission becomes opt-in (apps must request permission to send notifications)
- Android 14: Partial screen sharing — share one app, not the whole screen
The trend is clear: permissions are becoming more granular, more temporary, and more user-controlled. The “grant once, forever” model is dead.
References
- Android 11 one-time permissions documentation
- Google internal permission opt-in statistics (2021)
- Android Developers Blog: Android 11 privacy features