Where the permission prompts come from
An app asks for contacts, location and the camera because a feature somewhere needs them, because a library it includes needs them, because advertising needs them, or because asking early is easier than asking later. Only the first is about what you are trying to do.
The prompts feel like a negotiation and they are mostly a side effect of how apps are assembled. Knowing the 4 sources makes it easier to refuse without wondering what will break.
A feature genuinely needs it
A camera for taking a photo, a microphone for dictation. These requests appear at the moment you use the feature, which is the signal that the request is honest. A permission asked at first launch, before you did anything, is rarely this kind.
A library brings it along
Apps are assembled from components, and a component may request permissions the app itself never uses. This is why a simple app asks for something startling, and it is a genuine mistake rather than a plan.
Advertising needs it
Location and device identifiers make advertising more valuable. This is the largest source of surprising requests, and it is invisible from the outside because the app never mentions why.
Asking early is cheaper
A prompt at first launch is accepted more often than one during use, so many apps front-load everything. This is a conversion tactic, and refusing is usually safe: the feature will ask again when it is actually needed.
Questions about the app
Will refusing break the app?
Usually not. A well-built app degrades: the feature needing the permission stops and the rest works. An app that refuses to start without contacts is telling you something.
Does a web app avoid this?
It has fewer permissions available to ask for, and the ones it asks for still need your agreement. Fewer possible requests is the real difference.
Can I check what an app actually uses?
Both major platforms show recent permission use in settings. Comparing that against what was requested is the fastest reality check there is.
Open this from the home screen and count the permission prompts.
Open the chat first