Regretfully, it seems on iOS apps can tell they’ve been given access to only specific photos. Googles Photo app refuses to work unless it gets access to all photos.
WhatsApp still uses your contacts as its "friends list", i.e.: people appearing in "new chat". You can still text any number with wa.me links but the UI doesn't offer number input IIRC.
No, you can't initiate a session with someone you know the number of, it demands access to contacts so "you can stay in contact with your friends". The usual weasel words.
It was the case before, but I can do it now. It says "enable contact access to make it easier" but I can also just punch in a number and start chatting... Contact access is off.
I think it's a good design decision that just lacks control during the app review process.
There are apps that need full access to your photo gallery to be really useful (i.e. where limited pool of photos may have little sense in those contexts), photo deduplication apps being a case on point. At least that piece of information gives the app a chance to tell the user that it may not work as expected.
Now, if an app misbehaves based on photo sharing permissions (i.e. Google Photos not being able to work), that is a decision that the product team took. They're the ones responsible and that should be judged.
If anything there should be tighter controls during the app review process on how those apps use that info and avoid the ones that only work when sharing the full gallery.
I am the user, and if I allow only Screenshot and Whatsapp images folder to be accessed by your deduplication app, I want it to work on these 2 folders only, without accessing my camera. Same for lets say backup app.
YMMV, but IMHO it is preferable that the fundamental execution model of the app stays in control of the app-executing user and should not be affected or be dependent on the app review process. Rationale is to prevent single point of failures, especially those that are out of control of the user (compare with the emergency off switch on some bigger machinery).
This was an annoying issue with one of the Twitter competitors a while ago; their app asked for photo access, I gave it partial access, it grumbled that it needs ALL of it, and refused to let me upload any photo. I thought it was a "total photos < X" heuristic, so I went back and picked like 30 old photos, and it still knew that wasn't all of it.
That still works regardless of file permissions, own-app storage is always allowed on both iOS and Android since ever on iOS and since Android ~6. And clipboard access is all API-based, at least.
