GoKawiilPaul Jones / Android Authority
TL;DR HONOR has announced a nifty virtual permissions feature for its phones in China.
This feature sends blank data to select apps that request your contact list, calendar, and other permissions.
Realme had a similar feature in global markets, but we’ve discovered the company may have killed this feature to keep Google happy.
Google and Samsung phones offer plenty of privacy and security features. This includes spam detection, call screening, Advanced Protection Mode, and the ability to block USB connections via a locked phone. However, HONOR has launched a new feature that I’d like to see on Pixel and Galaxy phones.
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HONOR announced a new Virtual Permissions feature (h/t: HUAWEI Central) that effectively provides blank/dummy data to certain apps that request sensitive permissions. An official video posted on Weibo shows that you can specify which apps will receive blank permission data. This feature applies to permissions like your contact list, messages, call logs, and calendar. Check out a machine-translated screenshot below.
This is useful if you’re merely trying out an unknown app and don’t want to share any sensitive info just yet. It’s also handy if you simply want to use an established app with an otherwise expansive list of permissions.
Could Google have something to say about it? HONOR isn’t actually the first Android OEM to offer this feature. Realme debuted a similar Personal Information Protection feature back in 2020, sending blank data when an app requested certain permissions. Weirdly enough, it looks like realme may have pulled this feature to keep Google happy.
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