Understanding 'Add Photos Only' feature

I can think of one way the phrase "Add Photos Only" can arise in an app on the iPad (or other device). It has to do with the permissions system.

When an app (such as Duck Duck Go) needs access to the photos and videos stored in the Photos System Library, it needs credentials to do so. These credentials are established the first time the app needs them, and they come in several flavors, such as viewing any photos/videos, viewing only selected items, and so on.

In an extreme case, the user can decide that the app should not be allowed to read/view existing items but only to add new ones. That is where "Add Photos Only" permission comes into play.

I would normally grant more general permissions to a browser that I trust, but "Add Photos Only" is there if you want to be conservative.

The permissions system is tricky. Each app is created with a set of permissions that it may request (and that you may grant) for the Photos Library and for other protected assets, so different apps may behave differently.

I haven't examined either app closely (and it would depend on app and system level), but it is entirely possible that the authors of Facebook wrote it without the option of write-only access. From your testimony, clearly the authors of Duck Duck Go allowed for that configuration.

torwwwoolf wrote:

So am I correct in assuming that if I say Full Access, Facebook can poke around in my Photo album without my knowledge?

Yes, that is theoretically possible. If you don't trust it, don't grant it Full Access.

Ok. So does the phrase just mean I can save photos from Duck Duck browser TO my photos album? But Duck Duck cannot look at my Photos unless I give it permission?

With Facebook, I can post Photos from my Photo album to Facebook if I allow access to all or selected Photos. But no phrase ‘Add Photos only’. It gives the options for None, Full Access or Partial Access. So am I correct in assuming that if I say Full Access, Facebook can poke around in my Photo album without my knowledge?

Safari is Apple's browser. Have you checked with the Duck Duck Go people? What do they say?

It’s difficult to get help. There is nothing in search and asking their community means I have to join Reddit, which I don’t want to do

Thank you so much