What is all files access on Android?

All files access (the MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission) lets an Android app read, change and delete every file in the phone’s shared storage, including folders that belong to other apps.

Since Android 11, most apps reach files through narrower routes. They use a system file picker or the media library, and each only covers what the user chooses. All files access is a special permission you turn on for each app in Settings, usually under Special app access.

Why it matters on Android

Broad file access means an app can see your photos, downloads and documents. Google Play restricts it. Its policy lists file managers, backup and restore apps, antivirus apps and document management apps among the permitted uses. Apps may use it only when the more privacy-friendly routes cannot do the job. [1] Give it only to apps whose main job is managing files, and review the list in Settings from time to time.

How Applore uses it

Applore asks for all files access for:

• the file manager: browsing, searching, moving, copying, renaming and deleting files in any folder;
• the duplicate file finder, which compares files across your whole storage to find exact copies;
• Vault Gallery (Pro), the private vault that opens only inside Applore.

Files stay on your phone unless you choose to back them up to your own Google Drive. Applore does not clean app caches or other apps’ private data. See why Applore asks for each permission.

How to see which apps have it

Open Settings, search for All files access (often Settings › Apps › Special app access › All files access), and read the list. A weather app or a game has no reason to be there. Tap an app to turn the permission off; the app keeps working through the file picker, though features that need every folder may stop.

Related permissions

All files access is broader than the photo and video permissions an app gets through the media library, and broader than what the system file picker grants for one folder at a time. It says nothing about which apps you open: that is usage access. A file manager needs it; a monitoring app that also holds notification access or an accessibility service is a different matter, which is what Needs your review looks at.