Unresolved reference: READ_MEDIA_IMAGES

Question

I started targeting Android 13 with API 33. The app is requesting Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE for the older APIs. Now I know that I have to request the new permissions: READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO. I have added in the manifest:

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO" />

and now, as a result, in the setting of the permissions for the app I see an extra option to enable these permissions. What I can't do is to ask the permission at runtime If I try to access Manifest.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES in the code I get unresolved reference so I can't dynamically request the permission and if I don't then the user needs to do it manually.

How to handle the READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO?

Pallor

Set your compile version in build gradle on 33. If you already have that then update some implementation's. – Orthoclase

I'm doing it already – Pallor

Did you solve this? I have the same problem, also compiling and targeting 33 – Claudetta

Nevermind, it was just me changing to compile against api 33 in the wrong gradle file. :/ – Claudetta

I had to uninstall and reinstall the app after changing the targetSdk to get the runtime permission prompt displayed, even though I had denied the old permission. Note: I didn't have "Unresolved reference", just the permission prompt problem. – Limbic

Answer 1

According to official documentation https://developer.android.com/about/versions/13/behavior-changes-13#granular-media-permissions, you should ask permission in runtime. Also notice:

Note: If your app only needs to access images, photos, and videos, consider using the photo picker instead of declaring the READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permissions.

Housebroken

That's the problem. I didn't manage to ask the permission at runtimt because the constants are unresolved even if I'm targeting API 33 – Pallor

import android.Manifest – Dibbell

import android.Manifest made the difference :·) – Parr

Answer 2

Inside the code use

android.Manifest.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES

rather than

Manifest.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES

Acute