Request user permissions from React Native, iOS + Android

The current supported permissions are:

• Location
• Camera
• Microphone
• Photos
• Contacts
• Events
• Reminders (iOS only)
• Bluetooth (iOS only)
• Push Notifications (iOS only)
• Background Refresh (iOS only)
• Speech Recognition (iOS only)

• Now using React Native's own JS PermissionsAndroid library on Android, which is great because now we no longer have to do any additional linking (on Android)
• Updated API to be closer to RN's PermissionsAndroid
• Removed openSettings() support on Android (to stay linking-free). There are several NPM modules available for this
• restricted status now supported on Android, although it means something different than iOS

npm install --save react-native-permissions
rnpm link

Add permissions to manifest for android and info.plist for ios (xcode >=8). See notes below for more details.

const Permissions = require('react-native-permissions');

//...
  //check the status of a single permission
  componentDidMount() {
    Permissions.check('photo')
      .then(response => {
        //response is one of: 'authorized', 'denied', 'restricted', or 'undetermined'
        this.setState({ photoPermission: response })
      });
  }

  //request permission to access photos
  _requestPermission() {
    Permissions.request('photo')
      .then(response => {
        //returns once the user has chosen to 'allow' or to 'not allow' access
        //response is one of: 'authorized', 'denied', 'restricted', or 'undetermined'
        this.setState({ photoPermission: response })
      });
  }

  //check the status of multiple permissions
  _checkCameraAndPhotos() {
    Permissions.check(['camera', 'photo'])
      .then(response => {
        //response is an object mapping type to permission
        this.setState({
          cameraPermission: response.camera,
          photoPermission: response.photo,
        })
      });
  }

  // this is a common pattern when asking for permissions.
  // iOS only gives you once chance to show the permission dialog,
  // after which the user needs to manually enable them from settings.
  // the idea here is to explain why we need access and determine if
  // the user will say no, so that we don't blow our one chance.
  // if the user already denied access, we can ask them to enable it from settings.
  _alertForPhotosPermission() {
    Alert.alert(
      'Can we access your photos?',
      'We need access so you can set your profile pic',
      [
        {text: 'No way', onPress: () => console.log('permission denied'), style: 'cancel'},
        this.state.photoPermission == 'undetermined'?
          {text: 'OK', onPress: this._requestPermission.bind(this)}
          : {text: 'Open Settings', onPress: Permissions.openSettings}
      ]
    )
  }
//...

Promises resolve into one of these statuses

• Permission type bluetooth represents the status of the CBPeripheralManager. Don't use this if only need CBCentralManager

• Permission type location accepts a second parameter for request() and check(); the second parameter is a string, either always or whenInUse(default).

• Permission type notification accepts a second parameter for request(). The second parameter is an array with the desired alert types. Any combination of alert, badge and sound (default requests all three)

///example
    Permissions.check('location', 'always')
      .then(response => {
        this.setState({ locationPermission: response })
      })

    Permissions.request('location', 'always')
      .then(response => {
        this.setState({ locationPermission: response })
      })

    Permissions.request('notification', ['alert', 'badge'])
      .then(response => {
        this.setState({ notificationPermission: response })
      })

You cannot request microphone permissions on the simulator.

With Xcode 8, you now need to add usage descriptions for each permission you will request. Open Xcode > Info.plist > Add a key (starting with "Privacy - ...") with your kit specific permission.

Example: If you need Contacts permission you have to add the key "Privacy - Contacts Usage Description".

Requires RN >= 0.29.0

Uses RN's own PermissionsAndroid JS api (https://facebook.github.io/react-native/releases/0.45/docs/permissionsandroid.html)

All required permissions also need to be included in the Manifest before they can be requested. Otherwise request() will immediately return denied.

Permissions are automatically accepted for targetSdkVersion < 23 but you can still use check() to check if the user has disabled them from Settings.

You can request write access to any of these types by also including the appropriate write permission in the Manifest. Read more here: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/security/permissions.html#normal-dangerous

npm install --save react-native-permissions
rnpm link

• Run open node_modules/react-native-permissions
• Drag ReactNativePermissions.xcodeproj into the Libraries group of your app's Xcode project
• Add libReactNativePermissions.a to `Build Phases -> Link Binary With Libraries.

No additional linking required

If you need to submit you application to the AppStore, you need to add to your Info.plist all *UsageDescription keys with a string value explaining to the user how the app uses this data. Even if you don't use them.

So before submitting your app to the AppStore, make sure that in your Info.plist you have the following keys:

<key>NSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription</key>
<string>Some description</string>
<key>NSCalendarsUsageDescription</key>
<string>Some description</string>
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Some description</string>
<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>Some description</string>
<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
<string>Some description</string>
<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
<string>Some description</string>
<key>NSSpeechRecognitionUsageDescription</key>
<string>Some description</string>

This is required because during the phase of processing in the AppStore submission, the system detects that you app contains code to request the permission X but don't have the UsageDescription key and rejects the build.

Please note that it will only be shown to the users the usage descriptions of the permissions you really require in your app.

You can find more informations about this issue in #46.

A: starting with xcode 8, you need to add permission descriptions. see iOS notes for more details. Thanks to @jesperlndk for discovering this.

A: This is normal. iOS restarts your app when your privacy settings change. Just google "ios crash permission change"