Does Lookr track my location?

No. The manifest contains no location permission, coarse or fine. The app cannot access your location.

Why does a video app need WAKE_LOCK?

To keep long downloads from stalling when your screen sleeps. Without it, Android could pause the download mid-file.

Can I deny some permissions and still use Lookr?

You can deny notifications safely. Denying storage will break downloads, and denying network access breaks everything, so keep those granted.

Lookr Permissions Explained: All 21, One by One

Lookr v1.5.7 requests 21 permissions. We extracted the real list from the package manifest, so this is not a guess. Below is every one of them, grouped by purpose, with a plain language explanation of why a video search app needs it. Spoiler: there is nothing scary here, and notably nothing the app should not ask for.

Key takeaways: Network and storage permissions run the core features. Background service permissions keep downloads alive. Ad permissions exist because the app is free and ad supported. No contacts, SMS, location, camera, or microphone requests.

Network and connectivity (3)

INTERNET lets the app reach its search backend and stream videos. ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE lets it check your connection before trying to stream, so it can show a proper error instead of hanging. ACCESS_WIFI_STATE reads Wi-Fi status, typically so large downloads can prefer Wi-Fi.

Storage (2)

READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE reads your downloaded video files back for playback. WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE saves downloaded videos to your device. A downloader without storage permission would be useless, so these two are the most justified on the list.

Notifications and background work (5)

POST_NOTIFICATIONS shows download progress and completion alerts. RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED restarts background components after a reboot. FOREGROUND_SERVICE and FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK keep downloads and playback running while you use other apps. WAKE_LOCK keeps the processor awake during long downloads so they finish instead of stalling when the screen sleeps.

Advertising and attribution (4)

Lookr is free, and ads pay for that. AD_ID is the advertising ID used to serve ads. ACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTION and ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID belong to Android's ad services framework for measuring ad performance. READ_GSERVICES reads Google services configuration. If you dislike ad tracking, Android lets you reset or delete your advertising ID in Settings, Google, Ads.

Push, install referrer, device services (7)

C2DM RECEIVE receives push notifications. BIND_GET_INSTALL_REFERRER_SERVICE reads the Play install referrer for attribution. The two Transsion push provider permissions and two Transsion dataservice permissions support push and device services on Transsion phones (Tecno, Infinix, itel), which are a huge part of this app's audience. DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION is an internal permission that secures the app's own broadcast receivers.

What is missing matters more

The genuine build never asks for contacts, SMS, call logs, precise location, camera, or microphone. If any Lookr file you find elsewhere requests those, delete it and get the verified build from the official download page. Extra permissions are the clearest sign of a repackaged APK. Our safety verification results show the full check we ran before hosting the file.