When an app asks for permission on your phone, it’s tempting to tap “Allow” and get on with your day. But one setting deserves a closer look: accessibility access.
Accessibility features help people use their phones and support useful app functions. Depending on the service, this access can let an app read screen content and interact with other apps on your behalf. That’s why it matters which apps you grant it to.
Grab your Android phone, and let’s work through four simple checks.
Watch the Video Walkthrough
Prefer to follow along with me? Watch the video below, or continue with the written steps.
Step 1: Find Your Accessibility Apps
Start by checking which apps offer an accessibility service.
- Open Settings on your phone.
- Use the settings search bar to search for Accessibility.
- Open the accessibility menu.
- Look for a section called Downloaded apps, Installed apps, or something similar.
The wording varies between phones. In the video, the Motorola phone lists these services under Downloaded apps.
Look through the list and check whether each service is switched on or off. An app appearing here doesn’t necessarily mean it has accessibility access enabled.
If you spot a name you don’t recognise, leave its service off while you find out what it is.
Step 2: Check Why Each App Needs Access
Next, tap an app in the list and read the explanation of what its accessibility service does.
Ask yourself:
“Does this access make sense for the feature I want to use?”
In the video, Bitwarden’s accessibility service offers help with filling usernames and passwords. That gives you a specific reason to consider, rather than a vague request for more access.
Tools that help people navigate or interact with their phones can also have a legitimate need for accessibility access.
You don’t need to switch everything off. Take a moment to understand each service, especially before changing a feature you rely on.
If the explanation is unclear, check the developer’s official help pages before enabling it.
Step 3: Pause When an Unfamiliar App Insists
Be cautious if an unfamiliar app tells you that you must enable accessibility access to continue, especially when it gives no clear reason.
Google identifies unexplained requests to change device settings as a potential warning sign.
Before agreeing:
- Read the permission request carefully.
- Check what feature supposedly needs the access.
- Verify the app and developer through their official website or a trusted app store.
- Leave access disabled if you can’t establish a clear, trustworthy reason.
A request alone doesn’t prove an app is malicious. But “the app told me to” isn’t enough reason to approve powerful access.
Step 4: Run a Google Play Protect Scan
Now check your phone with Play Protect.
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Select Play Protect.
- Tap Scan and wait for the result.
Play Protect checks for potentially harmful apps, including apps installed from outside Google Play.
While you’re there, check that scanning is enabled:
- Tap the settings cog on the Play Protect screen.
- Make sure Scan apps with Play Protect is switched on.
Google recommends keeping this protection enabled.
If the scan finds no harmful apps, don’t use that result as a reason to approve an unexplained permission request. Keep checking whether the access fits what the app actually does.
You’ve now reviewed your accessibility services, checked why apps need access, learned which requests deserve a pause, and checked Play Protect.
