Request camera, microphone, and photo library permissions

Declare the access your Genuin features use, and let the SDK ask members at the moment they record, upload, or save.

The Genuin SDK asks members for camera, microphone, and photo library access itself, the first time they use a feature that needs it. Your part is the declaration: Android permissions in your manifest and iOS usage descriptions in your Info.plist. The SDK reads those declarations before it opens a feature, and it never adds them for you.

This page covers Android SDK 2.1.5 and iOS SDK 2.1.5, plus what differs in React Native 3.0.3, Flutter 1.0.1, and Web SDK 2.0.6. For the camera modules and their recording limits, see Camera and video creation in the Genuin SDK.

Before you begin

• Integrate the SDK for your platform: Android, iOS, React Native, or Flutter.
• Decide whether you ship the Camera module (com.begenuin:camera on Android, GenuinCamera on iOS). Recording, gallery import, and voice replies all come from it.
• Sign members in before they create. See Choose how members sign in to the Genuin SDK.

Step 1: Map your features to permissions

Declare only what your features use. Each row lists the module that owns the feature and the declaration the SDK checks before it opens it.

The camera screen opens only when both the camera and the microphone declarations exist, even if the member then switches to photo or audio mode. Text replies need no permission once the screen is open.

Step 2: Declare the Android permissions

Add the permissions to your app's AndroidManifest.xml. The Genuin AARs declare only INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, VIBRATE, and WAKE_LOCK, so nothing below reaches your app through the manifest merger.

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
  <!-- Recording, photo replies, voice comments, profile photos -->
  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />

  <!-- Gallery import -->
  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO" />
  <uses-permission
      android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
      android:maxSdkVersion="32" />

  <!-- Saving videos on Android 9 and earlier -->
  <uses-permission
      android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
      android:maxSdkVersion="28" />

  <!-- Keep the app installable on devices without this hardware -->
  <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera" android:required="false" />
  <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus" android:required="false" />
  <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.microphone" android:required="false" />
</manifest>

Before it opens the camera, the SDK runs two checks:

1. The device has a camera and a microphone. If either is missing, the member sees "This feature is not available on your device."
2. Your manifest requests CAMERA and RECORD_AUDIO. If either is missing, the member sees your brand's unsupported-feature message. By default, that message is "This feature is not accessible right now."

The gallery button runs the second check against READ_MEDIA_VIDEO on Android 13 and later, and READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE on Android 12 and earlier. When a declaration is missing, no system prompt appears.

Declaring CAMERA makes Google Play treat a back camera and autofocus as required hardware, and RECORD_AUDIO does the same for a microphone. The three uses-feature lines with android:required="false" keep your app available on devices without them. Learn more about permissions that imply feature requirements.

Step 3: Add the iOS usage descriptions

Add a usage description for each protected resource your features touch. iOS shows your string in the system prompt, so write it in your app's voice and say what the member gets.

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Record videos and photos to post in the community.</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>Record sound for your videos and voice comments.</string>
<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
<string>Upload videos from your library and save videos you like.</string>
<key>NSSpeechRecognitionUsageDescription</key>
<string>Turn your voice recordings into text you can add to your post.</string>

Before it opens a feature, the SDK looks for the key in your app's main bundle. When the key is missing, it shows your brand's unsupported-feature alert and never calls the iOS permission API. That check prevents the crash iOS triggers when an app touches the camera or microphone without a usage description.

The camera has one more gate on iOS: your brand's camera_enabled flag. If Genuin has switched it off, the camera shows the same alert even with both keys present.

NSSpeechRecognitionUsageDescription is optional. Without it, audio recording works and the transcript step is skipped. For the contacts, location, and tracking keys that other features use, see Integrate the Genuin iOS SDK.

Step 4: Let the SDK ask at the moment of use

Don't request these permissions at launch. The SDK checks the current status before each request and skips the prompt when your app already holds the permission.

For example, a member who records a post, then opens the gallery to add a clip, sees the camera and microphone prompts when the camera opens. The photo library prompt follows only when they tap the gallery.

Step 5: Know what members see after a denial

Your app needs no code for denials. The SDK shows its own explanation and a way to reach the system settings for your app.

On Android, the camera screen re-enables itself when the member comes back from settings with access granted. On iOS, the member opens the camera again after changing the setting.

The gallery dialog on Android appears after any denial on Android 13 and later. On Android 12 and earlier, it appears once the system stops showing the request, usually after the second denial.

On iOS, saving needs full photo library access. With limited access, the gallery works and shows a Manage banner that opens the system picker, so the member can add more videos to the selection.

Step 6: Test each permission state

Test on a physical device. The iOS Simulator has no camera, and Android emulators only report a camera when one is configured.

1. Start from a clean install so every prompt appears again:

adb uninstall {{PACKAGE_NAME}}
adb install app-debug.apk

1. Simulate a member who granted access and later turned it off:

adb shell pm revoke {{PACKAGE_NAME}} android.permission.CAMERA
adb shell pm revoke {{PACKAGE_NAME}} android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO
adb shell pm revoke {{PACKAGE_NAME}} android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO

1. On iOS, reset every prompt on the device in Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy. On the Simulator, reset the privacy prompts for your app:

xcrun simctl privacy booted reset all {{BUNDLE_ID}}

1. Walk through each scenario and compare the result:

React Native, Flutter, and the Web SDK

React Native 3.0.3

The genuin-react-native package pulls in only com.begenuin:core and com.begenuin:ui on Android, and only GenuinCore and GenuinUI on iOS. Neither platform gets the Camera module, so create, reply, and comment-recording actions show the unsupported-feature message, and no recording permission is needed.

The UI module still takes profile, community, and link photos and saves videos. Declare CAMERA and NSCameraUsageDescription if members change photos, and NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription if they choose photos or save videos on iOS.

Flutter 1.0.1

The genuin_sdk plugin pins the older native SDKs: genuin_android_sdk 1.1.9.3 on Android and GenuinSDK 1.1.9.1 on iOS. On Android, that AAR declares CAMERA, RECORD_AUDIO, READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, READ_MEDIA_VIDEO, READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, and WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, and the manifest merger copies them into your app.

To drop one, for example to meet Google Play's media policy, mark it for removal in your own manifest:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools">
  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES" tools:node="remove" />
</manifest>

The same AAR marks the camera, front camera, and microphone as required hardware. To change that, and for the iOS keys to add to ios/Runner/Info.plist, see Integrate the Genuin SDK with Flutter apps.

Web SDK 2.0.6

The Web SDK never calls getUserMedia or any storage API, so browsers show no permission prompt. It uses the Fullscreen and Web Share APIs, which need a tap but no permission. On the web, members create posts on your community site by uploading a file, which needs no permission either.

Troubleshooting

Limitations

• No permissions added for you: The 2.1.5 SDKs never declare camera, microphone, or media permissions, and never prompt at launch.
• No denial callback: Your app can't observe a member's permission decision through the SDK.
• Both declarations open the camera: The camera screen needs camera and microphone declarations, even for photo or audio replies.
• Session-only partial access on Android 14: The system withdraws selected-media access after your app goes to the background, and the member chooses again next time.
• Full library access to save on iOS: Members with limited photo library access can import but can't save videos.
• No recording in React Native 3.0.3: The package doesn't include the Camera module.
• No prompts on the web: Web SDK 2.0.6 has no camera or upload feature.

See also

• Camera and video creation in the Genuin SDK
• Edit videos in the Genuin SDK
• Integrate the Genuin Android SDK
• Integrate the Genuin iOS SDK
• Integrate the Genuin SDK with Flutter apps
• Integrate the Genuin SDK with React Native apps