Does Photo Picker need READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VISUAL_USER_SELECTED permissions?

Question

I am able to access pictures using photo picker without any permissions in the app. Is that allowed without asking for READ_MEDIA_IMAGES permission? I could not find any reference to documentation which clearly states that permission is not required. I would appreciate any help in confirming this is indeed the case.

I was expecting the photo picker to not work at all or throw an exception without READ_MEDIA_IMAGES or READ_MEDIA_VISUAL_USER_SELECTED permissions.

Code:

// Registers a photo picker activity launcher in single-select mode.
val pickMedia = registerForActivityResult(ActivityResultContracts.PickVisualMedia()) { uri ->
    // Callback is invoked after the user selects a media item or closes the
    // photo picker.
    if (uri != null) {
        Log.d("PhotoPicker", "Selected URI: $uri")
    } else {
        Log.d("PhotoPicker", "No media selected")
    }

    uri?.let {
        // Grant read URI permission to access the selected URI

        val source = ImageDecoder.createSource(this.contentResolver, uri)
        val bitmap = ImageDecoder.decodeBitmap(source)
    }
}

pickMedia.launch(PickVisualMediaRequest(ActivityResultContracts.PickVisualMedia.ImageOnly))

Answer 1

Nope. This is one of the benefits of Photo Picker. From the 34 SDK update docs:

[Selected Photos Access] is only enabled if your app targets Android 14 (API level 34) or higher. If you don't use the photo picker yet, we recommend implementing it in your app to provide a consistent experience for selecting images and videos that also enhances user privacy without having to request any storage permissions.

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