Xamarin Android Produced Bundle showing android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION, but not asked for in AndroidManifest.xml

Question

Xamarin Android Produced Bundle showing android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION, but not asked for in AndroidManifest.xml

Tony Pitman 81

I am using Xamarin Forms to produce a cross platform app. I am using the latest Visual Studio 2019 for Mac. When I submit my app to the google play store they keep saying that I need a message telling the user why I need background location services. This is confusing to me because in my code I use this request:

Permissions.RequestAsync<Permissions.LocationWhenInUse>

On top of that when I look at the options on the permissions page the AccessBackgroundLocation checkbox is NOT checked.

Here is what is in my AndroidManifest.xml:

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN" />

Yet when I look at the App Bundle on the google play website for this app here is what I see:

Required permissions (12)
12 COMMON
android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION, android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, android.permission.BATTERY_STATS, android.permission.BLUETOOTH, android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN, android.permission.BLUETOOTH_PRIVILEGED, android.permission.INTERNET, android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED, android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

I don't understand where the requirement for ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION is coming from and how to turn that off in Xamarin when I build.

JarvanZhang 23,971 Reputation points

2022-02-09T05:18:20.6+00:00
Hi, TonyPitman-4374. What is the target framework of your project? If the project targets Android 9 or lower, the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION will be added automatically in the following situations:

If your app declares a <uses-permission> element for either ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION or ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, the system automatically adds a <uses-permission> element for ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION during installation.

If your app requests either ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION or ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, the system automatically adds ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION to the request.

Here is the related doc, you could refer to it:
https://developer.android.com/about/versions/10/privacy/changes#access_granted_automatically_when_targeting_android_9_or_lower
Tony Pitman 81 Reputation points

2022-02-09T05:28:42.743+00:00

That being the case, what if I don’t need location in the background? What is the correct way to tell the system not to include it? Google wants me to tell the user why I use location in the background, but I don’t so I don’t want this included.
JarvanZhang 23,971 Reputation points

2022-02-09T07:55:05.133+00:00
Does your app access the location in background? An app is considered to be accessing location in the background unless one of the following conditions is satisfied:

An activity belonging to the app is visible.

The app is running a foreground service that has declared a foreground service type of location.

If your app creates and monitors geofences, you must declare the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission.
Tony Pitman 81 Reputation points

2022-02-09T13:58:50.96+00:00

No, that is what I have been trying to say. My app does not do anything in the background. When I use the permission request mechanism I only ask for permission while the app is in use and we only do things when the app is in the foreground.

When I detect going into the background I disconnect from Bluetooth devices and we only use location services during an interactive process that the user actively participates in while the app is in the foreground.
JarvanZhang 23,971 Reputation points

2022-02-10T08:27:51.963+00:00
Try adding the following code in AndroidManifest.xml file.

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION" tools:node="remove" />

Here is a simialr thread you could refer to it: https://stackoverflow.com/a/65620779/11083277
Tony Pitman 81 Reputation points

2022-02-10T15:55:47.54+00:00

This works. Please post as an answer so I can mark it as the answer. Thank you!

1 answer

Your answer

JarvanZhang 23,971 Reputation points

2022-02-09T05:18:20.6+00:00

Hi, TonyPitman-4374. What is the target framework of your project? If the project targets Android 9 or lower, the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION will be added automatically in the following situations:

If your app declares a <uses-permission> element for either ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION or ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, the system automatically adds a <uses-permission> element for ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION during installation.

If your app requests either ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION or ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, the system automatically adds ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION to the request.

Here is the related doc, you could refer to it:
https://developer.android.com/about/versions/10/privacy/changes#access_granted_automatically_when_targeting_android_9_or_lower
Tony Pitman 81 Reputation points

2022-02-09T05:28:42.743+00:00

That being the case, what if I don’t need location in the background? What is the correct way to tell the system not to include it? Google wants me to tell the user why I use location in the background, but I don’t so I don’t want this included.
JarvanZhang 23,971 Reputation points

2022-02-09T07:55:05.133+00:00

Does your app access the location in background? An app is considered to be accessing location in the background unless one of the following conditions is satisfied:

An activity belonging to the app is visible.

The app is running a foreground service that has declared a foreground service type of location.

If your app creates and monitors geofences, you must declare the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission.
Tony Pitman 81 Reputation points

2022-02-09T13:58:50.96+00:00

No, that is what I have been trying to say. My app does not do anything in the background. When I use the permission request mechanism I only ask for permission while the app is in use and we only do things when the app is in the foreground.

When I detect going into the background I disconnect from Bluetooth devices and we only use location services during an interactive process that the user actively participates in while the app is in the foreground.
JarvanZhang 23,971 Reputation points

2022-02-10T08:27:51.963+00:00

Try adding the following code in AndroidManifest.xml file.

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION" tools:node="remove" />

Here is a simialr thread you could refer to it: https://stackoverflow.com/a/65620779/11083277
Tony Pitman 81 Reputation points

2022-02-10T15:55:47.54+00:00

This works. Please post as an answer so I can mark it as the answer. Thank you!

Answer 1

Hello @Tony Pitman ,

Welcome to our Microsoft Q&A platform!

When targeting Android.9 and lower, ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION and ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION imply ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION. So if you want to remove the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission, then you can not request ACCESS_FINE_ LOCATION or ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION permission in your application.

For how to remove the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission, please add tools:node="remove" to the uses-permission tag as below:

   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION"  tools:node="remove" />

Best Regards,

Jarvan Zhang

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Xamarin Android Produced Bundle showing android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION, but not asked for in AndroidManifest.xml

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