Android Nearby Devices Permission Explained

When you install a new music player or a smart home app, you are often met with a prompt asking for the nearby devices permission. On the surface, it sounds like a request to find your physical surroundings, but for many privacy-conscious users, it raises immediate red flags. This permission is actually the evolution of how Android handles Bluetooth connectivity, separating the ability to connect to hardware from the ability to track your physical location. It is a critical distinction that changed the way we manage mobile privacy starting with Android 12 and solidifying in Android 13, 14, and the latest Android 15 previews.

I have spent the last few weeks testing how this permission behaves across a Pixel 8 Pro running Android 14, a Samsung Galaxy S24 with One UI 6.1, and a Xiaomi 14 Ultra running HyperOS. In this guide, I will explain exactly what this permission does, why your apps are suddenly demanding it, and how you can audit your device to ensure you aren't being tracked via Bluetooth scanning android techniques. By the end of this article, you will know how to keep your smart home functional without giving away more data than necessary.

What 'Nearby devices' actually grants

The nearby devices permission is technically a permission group that allows an application to discover, connect to, and determine the relative position of nearby devices via Bluetooth. Before Android 12, Google bundled Bluetooth access into the general "Location" permission. This was a significant privacy flaw because any app that wanted to connect to a pair of headphones could technically use BLE permission (Bluetooth Low Energy) scanning to triangulation your exact coordinate based on fixed beacons in shopping centres or airports. The nearby devices permission was created to fix this, allowing apps to talk to your hardware without knowing your GPS coordinates.

When you grant this permission, an app gains access to three specific system calls: BLUETOOTH_SCAN, BLUETOOTH_CONNECT, and BLUETOOTH_ADVERTISE. On Android 13 and 14, if an app is built correctly, granting nearby devices tells the system the app is looking for hardware, not people. However, if the app is older and hasn't been updated to target recent API levels, it might still trigger a legacy Location request. On my Pixel test device, I noticed that modern apps like Spotify or Bose Music only trigger the nearby devices prompt, whereas older utility apps often still ask for both, which is a major privacy warning sign.

It is important to understand that "relative position" is not the same as "absolute location." Relative position tells the app that your smart bulb is three metres away in the same room. Absolute location tells the app you are at a specific street address in London. By siloing these, Android 14 and 15 provide a layer of protection that prevents "silent tracking" via Bluetooth scanning. If an app has this permission, it can see the MAC addresses of devices around you, which can still be used to fingerprint your environment if the app developer is malicious, but it is vastly safer than full GPS access.

Why apps suddenly want it

You may have noticed a surge in apps requesting this permission since upgrading to Android 13 or 14. This is because Google forced developers to migrate away from the old permission model. If an app wants to show you a list of available Bluetooth speakers or if it needs to sync with a fitness tracker, it must now explicitly ask for nearby devices. For example, on Samsung One UI 6, the Galaxy Wearable app requires this to maintain the "Handover" feature where your buds switch between your tablet and phone automatically.

The "why" usually falls into one of three categories: setup, streaming, or data sync. Setup apps for smart plugs or lights use BLE permission to send Wi-Fi credentials to a new device. Streaming apps use it to identify Chromecast or Spotify Connect targets on your local network. Data sync apps, like those for Garmin or Fitbit, use it to maintain a constant low-energy link to pull your heart rate or step data. On Xiaomi HyperOS, I found that the system "Mi Share" feature is heavily reliant on this permission to detect other Xiaomi devices in the vicinity for high-speed file transfers.

However, some apps request it unnecessarily. A simple calculator or a basic photo editor has no business scanning for nearby devices. In these cases, the developer might be using a third-party advertising SDK that uses Bluetooth scanning to see what kind of expensive tech you own (like a high-end smart TV or a specific car brand) to build a consumer profile. During my testing, I found several "free" torch apps that requested this permission solely to ping nearby beacons for marketing purposes. This is why a manual audit is non-negotiable for privacy.

Auditing every app that has it

To secure your device, you need to perform a top-down audit. The path varies slightly depending on your manufacturer. On a Pixel or any phone running "stock" Android 13, 14, or 15, follow this path: 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap Security & privacy. 3. Tap Privacy. 4. Select Permission manager. 5. Scroll down to Nearby devices. Here, you will see a list of apps categorised by "Allowed" and "Not allowed." Tap on any app to see its specific status and change it.

On a Samsung device running One UI 6, the path is slightly different: 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap Security and privacy. 3. Tap Privacy. 4. Tap Permission manager. 5. Locate Nearby devices. Samsung provides a very clear "See all apps with this permission" view which I find more intuitive than the stock Android layout. On Xiaomi HyperOS, go to: 1. Settings. 2. Protection of privacy. 3. Permissions. 4. All permissions. 5. Find Nearby devices. Xiaomi's interface is a bit more buried, but it offers a "High-risk permissions" warning if an app is using Bluetooth scanning in the background excessively.

While auditing, look specifically for apps in the "Allowed all the time" or "Allowed" list that don't involve hardware. If you see a retail app, a social media platform, or a game with this permission, it is likely being used for proximity marketing. On Android 14, you can also check the "Privacy Dashboard" (found in the same Privacy menu) to see a timeline of exactly when an app accessed your nearby devices. If you see a shopping app scanning at 3:00 AM while you're asleep, that is a clear signal to revoke access immediately.

Revoking without breaking smart speakers

One of the biggest fears users have is that revoking permissions will "break" their tech. If you revoke the nearby devices permission for the Google Home app, you will likely lose the ability to set up new Nest speakers, but your existing speakers will usually continue to work over Wi-Fi. The key is distinguishing between discovery and operation. Most smart speakers use Bluetooth for the initial handshake and Wi-Fi for everything else. You can often grant the permission to set the device up, and then revoke it once the device is successfully connected to your network.

On my Samsung S24, I tested this with a set of Galaxy Buds. If I revoke the nearby devices permission for the Galaxy Wearable app, the "Auto-switch" feature stops working, and the app can no longer show me the battery percentage of the case. However, the buds still pair via standard system Bluetooth and play music perfectly. The takeaway here is that you should 1. Set the permission to "Don't allow" for any app you aren't currently using to configure hardware. 2. If the app stops working, Android will prompt you to re-enable it the next time you open the app. 3. Use the "Always ask" option if it is available for that specific app (though many system apps only allow "Allow" or "Disallow").

For apps like Spotify, revoking nearby devices might hide the "Connect to a device" list if you are trying to find a Bluetooth speaker. However, if you are using Spotify Connect (which works over Wi-Fi), it usually doesn't need this specific Bluetooth permission. On Android 15, the system is getting better at handling these "graceful failures," meaning the app won't crash; it will simply show a message saying it can't find your hardware. This allows you to be much more aggressive with revoking permissions for secondary apps that you only use occasionally.

Samsung and Xiaomi quirks

Different manufacturers handle the underlying tech of Bluetooth scanning android differently. Samsung's One UI 6 includes a specific "SmartThings" integration that often bypasses standard permission prompts if you've signed into a Samsung Account. You might find that even if you haven't granted "Nearby devices" to a specific app, the system-level SmartThings Framework is doing the scanning for you. To control this, go to Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Nearby device scanning and toggle it off. This is a "master switch" that operates independently of individual app permissions.

Xiaomi’s HyperOS has a unique "Privacy Protection" feature that can actually feed "dummy" or "empty" data to apps requesting nearby devices. If you are wary of an app but feel it needs the permission to run, you can sometimes find settings within Xiaomi's Security app that let you "Return blank messages" for certain requests. Furthermore, Xiaomi's implementation of BLE permission handling is quite aggressive regarding battery saving. If you notice your smart watch isn't syncing, it's often not a permission issue but rather HyperOS killing the background process. You must go to the app's info page and set battery saver to "No restrictions."

On Pixel devices, Google handles these permissions in a very "by the book" manner. However, Pixels have a feature called "Rules" (Settings > System > Rules) that can change device behaviour based on Wi-Fi or Location. While not directly a permission setting, I recommend Pixel users check if any Rules are triggering Bluetooth changes automatically. Also, note that on Android 14 and 15, Pixel devices have a "Private Space" feature. Permissions granted inside the Private Space are separate from your main profile, allowing you to have a "dirty" app with nearby devices access that remains completely frozen and inactive when the space is locked.

Safer alternatives for sharing

If your main goal is simply sharing files with people nearby, you don't need to give a dozen different apps the nearby devices permission. Google has consolidated this into "Quick Share" (formerly Nearby Share). This is a system-level tool that handles the complex Bluetooth and Wi-Fi handshakes securely. To use it, you don't grant permissions to a third-party app; you simply use the native Android Share sheet. This is the safest way to leverage Bluetooth scanning android capabilities because the security is managed by Google Play Services rather than an unknown app developer.

Another alternative is using "Ultra-Wideband" (UWB) if you have a premium device like a Pixel 8 Pro or a Samsung S24 Ultra. UWB is much more precise and carries fewer tracking risks than traditional Bluetooth scanning. In your settings, look for "UWB" and ensure it is enabled for file sharing. It allows for "point-to-share" functionality that is both faster and more private. For smart home control, I recommend using the "Device Controls" shortcut in your Quick Settings tiles (swipe down from the top twice). This uses the system's internal hooks to talk to your devices, meaning you don't need to keep the actual Google Home or SmartThings app open with its permissions active in the background.

As we move toward the full release of Android 15, we expect to see even more granular controls, possibly including a "one-time" permission for nearby devices similar to how we currently handle Location and Camera. For now, the best practice remains a strict "deny by default" policy. Only grant the nearby devices permission when an app's core functionality fails without it, and always check your Permission Manager after installing a system update to ensure your settings haven't been reset. Protecting your digital perimeter starts with controlling how your phone talks to the world around it.