Do you really need ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission?

[sonew-c]

dp3t-app-android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
Line 18:

Are you sure you want to have this? It seems to defeat the purpose of the app itself.

BTW, good project

[goebelUB]

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth#Permissions

[aemxn]

According to Switzerland's client manifest file, it doesn't include this line.

https://github.com/DP-3T/dp3t-app-android-ch/blob/master/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml#L14

Can someone clarify this?

EDIT: I think this issue have also discussed about it SwissCovid/swisscovid-app-android#61

[Filius-Patris]

(I'm not 100% sure on this. Correct me if I'm wrong)

AFAIK the SwissCovid app uses the ExposureNotification framework provided by Google. As this call goes through the Google Play libraries and not the OS, permissions required are specified by the library.
On the thread you mentioned, they cite the specifications, which clearly state that you do not have to have the ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission. (If I understood correctly, you may even not have it.)

I think this repo does not use the Google backend and makes the call through the OS. Thus it needs the ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission to scan for BLE beacons.