What each permission does

Send SMS required

To send outbound location pings and replies. Every ping is a single SMS to a single number you choose. Locator never sends SMS without you tapping a button (or auto-replying to a contact you’ve already trusted).

If you skip it: the app cannot ping anyone — outbound is disabled.

Receive & Read SMS required

To detect incoming Locator pings (messages tagged with [KZL-…]) and route them into the app. Untagged SMS is ignored entirely — we don’t parse or store anything else.

If you skip it: nobody can ping you. Outbound still works but you can’t receive.

Precise location required

To get your accurate GPS coordinates when a trusted contact pings you. Used only at the moment of reply — not continuously tracked.

If you skip it: replies fall back to network-based coarse location (less accurate, ~100m).

Background location required for full coverage

Android doesn’t allow apps to read GPS while in the background unless you explicitly grant this. Without it, replies only work if Locator is the active foreground app — not useful for auto-reply or recurring pings.

If you skip it: the app must be open and on-screen to reply. Auto-reply and SOS won’t work when the screen is off.

Wake-lock + Foreground service required

When an SMS arrives at 3 AM, Android tries to keep the device asleep. Without these, the GPS fix and reply may not complete before the OS kills the process. The foreground service runs only during a reply (typically 5–10 seconds), then exits.

Vibrate + full-screen-intent required for SOS

The full-screen-intent permission (Android 14+) is what lets Locator unlock your screen and show a takeover UI when a Family SOS arrives — even if your phone is on silent or DND. It’s the same permission your alarm clock uses.

If you skip it: SOS will still play sound (alarm stream bypasses DND on its own) but won’t pop the full-screen UI. You’ll see a regular notification instead.