What this build asks for, in words testers understand
Every plan, also without an account
An APK asks for android.permission.READ_CONTACTS. An iOS build carries NSCameraUsageDescription. Testers do not read manifests, and a client who is asked for their contacts by a test build often stops right there.
AppForShare turns those names into one short, factual sentence each, such as "Can read your contacts.", and shows them on the install page before the tester taps Install. On iOS the app's own reason is shown word for word.
Example
This app asks for
- CameraCan take photos and record video with the camera. "Scan receipts"
- Precise locationCan see your precise location.
- ContactsCan read your contacts. New since the last build
Made for
- Testers and clients who want to know what a build will ask for
- Developers who want to spot a new permission before it reaches a store review
- Agencies who explain test builds to non technical clients
What it ends
- Testers surprised by a permission prompt in the middle of a test
- A new permission slipping into a build because an SDK added it
- Reading AndroidManifest.xml or Info.plist by hand
How it works
Step 1
Upload as usual
Any .ipa or .apk, also without an account, or an .aab with a free account.
Step 2
Testers read it on the install page
"This app asks for: camera, contacts" in the tester's language, then each permission in plain words, with the app's own iOS reason shown as written.
Step 3
You see what is new
The build page has a Permissions card with "New since the last build", and "What changed" names new permissions with their plain label.
What is covered
About 70 Android permissions, special ones such as display over other apps first, then the ones the phone asks for, then the ones granted at install, and about 35 iOS usage keys. Each has a short label and one sentence, in English and the 12 other install page languages. Names we have no words for are listed as they are.
The map is fixed text, not AI, so it costs no AI actions and says the same thing every time. iOS reasons are stored for builds uploaded after this feature shipped; older builds show the plain words without the app's reason.
Also in the inspectors, the CLI and AI tools
The free IPA and APK inspectors show the same plain words. appforshare info and the MCP tool build_info return them as permissionsPlain, so a script or your AI coding assistant can flag a new permission.
Good to know
- It says what a permission allows, never whether an app or a permission is safe, risky or dangerous.
- AppForShare does not scan, approve or vouch for apps.
- It reads the build's manifest or Info.plist; it cannot tell when the app actually uses a permission.
Questions
- Which plan do I need?
- None. It works on every plan, also for builds uploaded without an account.
- Is this an AI summary?
- No. It is a fixed list of plain sentences written for each permission, so it is the same every time.
- Does it tell testers an app is safe?
- No. It only says what each permission lets the app do.
- Which languages?
- The 13 install page languages, picked from the tester's phone.
Read next
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