Google Play photo and video permissions policy: fixes and checks

Your app only lets people choose a profile photo, but Google says it requests broad access to their media. The final build may ask for more than that feature needs. Check its declared permissions before writing another explanation.

Google’s photo and video policy instructions distinguish a qualifying need for broad access from occasional selection. The page’s January 2025 deadline is historical; these aren’t newly announced requirements for your release.

Choose the access your feature needs

What the app does	Where to start
Lets someone attach a receipt or profile photo	A system picker for the specific media they choose
Lets someone occasionally upload a video	A picker that supports the media type the feature needs
Depends on ongoing broad library access for its core function	Read the policy eligibility criteria and prepare the required declaration
Doesn’t use photos or videos	Find and remove the unnecessary permissions

Using photos somewhere in the app doesn’t establish a need to read the whole library. We recommend starting with Android’s photo picker when users choose individual files. Test whether it meets the actual workflow before deciding broader access is necessary.

Have your developer inspect the final bundle

Ask for the permissions in the Android App Bundle you’re submitting, including permissions contributed by dependencies. The merged manifest, the final list Android builds from the app and its libraries, can differ from the configuration file you edited.

For occasional access, change the feature to use the picker and remove READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO. Follow your framework’s supported configuration or manifest-merging method. A declaration-form edit can’t remove permissions from a bundle already built.

Build again and inspect the new bundle. Google’s instructions cover all version codes within the submission, including production and testing tracks. Check that an older included bundle isn’t still carrying the permissions.

Test choosing, canceling, and returning

On the Android versions your app supports, try selecting a photo or video, canceling selection, and returning to the app. Confirm upload and display still work. If the feature needs access after a restart or for a longer upload, have the developer check how long the app can use the file address (URI) returned by the picker.

If broad access is necessary, demonstrate the core workflow in the declaration and explain why selection alone won’t serve it. Google reviews that request; a declaration isn’t automatic permission to use broad access.

Before resubmitting, compare the final bundle, declaration, and Data safety answers. Keep the tested version code in your notes so you can identify exactly which bundle contains the fix.