Google has started sending out emails to developers whose applications require broad access to device storage. The email tells developers that from May 5, they must inform Google why their app is requesting broad storage access, or that they may not publish updates that target Android 11.
Before Android 11, apps could request broad access to a device’s storage by declaring the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission in their Manifest and asking the user to grant it. Many apps that had no legal need to read all the files stored on the device’s storage requested this permission, which caused Google to access the storage with Android 11’s “Scoped Storage” changes limited. However, for applications that legally require wider storage access, such as file managers, Google has encouraged them to continue targeting Android 10 (API level 29) and to request ‘legacy’ access to the store by declaring requestLegacyExternalStorage=true in their Manifesto.
Inheritance access enables apps to have wide access to the storage of the device without being under the restrictions of Scoped storage. However, all apps targeting Android 11 (API Level 30) and above are subject to restricted storage restrictions and cannot request access to devices. Instead, they need to request a new permission named MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (referred to by the user as “All File Access”) to grant broad storage access (excluding a handful of directories such as / Android / data or / Android / obb).
From November 2021, all applications and app updates submitted to Google Play must be targeted to Android 11, which means that file manager applications and other applications requiring wider storage access will eventually have to switch to the Scoped Storage model and the permission for must request access to all files. The only problem is that Google does not currently allow developers to request permission to ‘access all files’. Google previously said developers should sign a declaration form before the app can be allowed on Google Play. This statement form is intended to enable Google to eradicate applications that do not require ‘access to all files’, just as Google restricts access to SMS, call logs and QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permissions.
Although Google announced its intention to have developers sign a declaration form in November 2019, they have not yet made the declaration forms available. The company cited staff members’ challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic for delaying applications that target Android 11 and require “All file access” to be uploaded to Google Play. Google has set the unspecified date of “early 2021” for when they would open the statement form.
Now, at last, Google has begun notifying developers when applications can request “All access to files” permission. The emails sent to developers are confusingly worded, but a newly published support page provides clarity. According to the support page, apps that target Android 11 and request ‘access to all files’ may eventually be uploaded to Google Play from May 2021, presumably when the declaration form comes into use. Visit Google’s support page for a list of permitted uses, exceptions and invalid uses of “access to all files”, as well as suggested alternative APIs.