Yes, to use the camera in Android development, you must request the camera permission from the user. The process is as follows:
- Add the camera permission in your app’s manifest file
In your AndroidManifest.xml file, add the following uses-permission element:
If you are targeting Android Marshmallow (6.0/API 23) or higher, your app must request the camera permission due to the introduction of the runtime permission model.<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
- Request the camera permission
If your app targets Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher, you must request permissions at runtime, so you must check whether the permission is granted even if it is in your manifest. For a smooth user experience, try to do this in an unobtrusive way. Here’s an example of how you can request the permission:if (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.CAMERA) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) { ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]{Manifest.permission.CAMERA}, MY_PERMISSIONS_REQUEST_CAMERA); }
- Handle the permission request response
Your app receives the result of the permission request in the onRequestPermissionsResult() method of the activity where you requested the permission. You must override this method to find out whether the permission was granted. The method’s parameters include the request code you passed to requestPermissions(), and an array that contains the results of the permission requests.
Here’s an example:
@Override
public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode,
String permissions[], int[] grantResults) {
switch (requestCode) {
case MY_PERMISSIONS_REQUEST_CAMERA: {
// If request is cancelled, the result arrays are empty.
if (grantResults.length > 0
&& grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
// permission was granted, do your camera-related task.
} else {
// permission denied, disable the functionality that depends on this permission.
Toast.makeText(this, "Permission denied to use Camera", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
return;
}
// other 'case' lines to check for other permissions this app might request
}
}
Remember that you must use a unique request code for each permission your app requests.
Remember also to explain to the user why the permission is needed, either before or at the time of the request. If users understand why your app is requesting a permission, they’re more likely to grant it.
If your application requires more than one permission, you should ask for them at the same time. For example, you may need both CAMERA and WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions to take a photo and save it to the device’s public storage. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not all permissions are created equal; some permissions are automatically granted by the system, while others require explicit user approval.