Why does google play services need "SMS" permission?

[rewolff]

Hi,
Just browsing to see if any apps have permissions they shouldn't have.
I found something like "6 apps" that had SMS permissions and looked which ones that would be. Now for "messaging" I understand the requirement. And Whatsapp needs to verify my phone's identity with an SMS in the beginning. I revoked that.

But I get a "things my stop working" warning when I try to disable it for
"google play store", "google play services" and "Google".

I have now gone ahead and disabled their permission to see what happens. This leaves "contacts and dialler" and "messaging" with SMS permissions. Seems legit.

 

[B. Diddy]

Google Play Services is integral to any Google service, and is also important for many 3rd party apps, so it needs virtually all permissions. Think of Play Services as a system app, rather than something only used by Google Play apps.

 

[Tim1954]

I deny all permissions to that app and it works fine...

 

[B. Diddy]

Hmm, that's interesting. I guess if it ends up needing a permission, you'll always be able to turn it on if you're so inclined.

 

[chanchan05]

1. Play Store AFAIK is for carrier billing. You can use your carrier credits to pay for apps, if the carrier supports it. It sends through your number AFAIK.
2. Google Play Services is more of a framework. Let's say an app wants to do something via SMS, but the developer instead of making his own SMS code, just hooks it up to Google Play Services's SMS thingy. As long as you don't have an app that goes through Google Play Services for an SMS permission, you're find with disabling it and will just ask you to reenable it when you do something that needs it.
This also ensures cross version compatibility. Basically on any phone that will run the latest version of Play Services, regardless of Android version, the services that the apps hook to Play Services will work.
Permissions are generally safe to disable, the phone will ask you to reenable it when you try to do something that needs that permission.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Might be related to the 2 step verification process since Google sends an SMS.

 

[B. Diddy]

Might be related to the 2 step verification process since Google sends an SMS.

Very good point -- although everyone should be using a 2nd factor other than SMS (like the Authenticator app) due to the poorer security with SMS 2-factor.

 

[AleC Games]

I think if you deny all permissions to that app it can help.

 

[anon(10753934)]

I think if you deny all permissions to that app it can help.

Here's what I get attached SS