and I might add "and it's not documented anywhere"...
I just found out that my newly updated application requires "READ_PHONE_STATE" permission, after a rightfully concerned user reported that to me.
After a brief investigation, it resulted that
Now, I think that this might be due to this side effect (which btw would also involve an issue with the manifest merger, as cardboard apps require min=android-19, but this is another story...):
Note: If both your minSdkVersion and targetSdkVersion values are set to 3 or lower, the system implicitly grants your app this permission. If you don't need this permission, be sure your targetSdkVersion is 4 or higher.
(from READ_PHONE_STATE in the Manifest.permission documentation ), as the manifests in the aar files don't declare any minimum target.
Regardless, this is alarming stuff from a user's point of view, especially when there is no explanation on why the permission is requested. Confront on this topic "What some of those scary application permissions mean" on Android Central, to get an idea of the "general vibe" around it [EDIT if there is any doubt about that, half an hour and I already got 2 very vocal 1-star reviews on the store...].
So please consider documenting the usage you make of the permission, if it's required, or if it's not, consider removing the source of the permission from the next release and (since 0.7.1 isn't going to come out tomorrow, I guess) updating the release notes to account for the bug, thus providing developers with a quick reference for any concerned users (this thread might be too technical for most).
I'm also aware that you are probably overbooked, but it comes without saying that any effort to deal with this issue promptly, at least documentation-wise, will be greatly appreciated.
Keep up the good work, anyway: your efforts are appreciated!
Riccardo
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