permission_handler_auto_back

A drop-in wrapper around permission_handler that automatically returns the user back to your app on Android after they grant a permission from the system Settings page.

On Android certain permissions cannot be granted via a runtime dialog and instead require the user to flip a switch in Settings — for example All files access, Display over other apps, Schedule exact alarms, Background location, or any runtime permission that has been permanently denied. Sending users into Settings is awkward because they then have to manually navigate back. This plugin polls the system for the granted state, and as soon as the toggle flips on, it brings your app back to the foreground.

On iOS the package is a thin re-export of permission_handler — iOS does not allow apps to come back to the foreground from Settings programmatically, so the auto-back behavior is Android-only.

On Web and Windows, requestWithAutoBack() delegates to permission_handler's native implementation. On Linux and macOS, where permission_handler ships no platform code, it short-circuits to PermissionStatus.granted so calls don't throw.

Demo

Features

• Re-exports the entire permission_handler API — keep using Permission.camera.request(), PermissionStatus, openAppSettings(), etc. Nothing breaks.
• Adds Permission.requestWithAutoBack() — a single call that:
  • shows the runtime dialog for normal permissions,
  • opens the right Settings page for "special" Android permissions,
  • opens the app details page when a permission is permanently denied,
  • polls the system every 500 ms until the permission is granted,
  • automatically pulls your app back to the foreground.
• Works with any launcher Activity — no need to know your MainActivity class name.
• Polling stops automatically after 5 minutes, when the engine detaches, or when you call cancelPermissionAutoBack().

Installation

dependencies:
  permission_handler_auto_back: ^0.0.1

flutter pub get

You do not need to add permission_handler separately — it is re-exported by this package.

Setup

Declare the permissions you actually use in your app's AndroidManifest.xml and iOS Info.plist, exactly as you would for permission_handler. See the permission_handler setup guide for the full list. A starter set covering the cases this plugin specifically handles:

<!-- android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
    tools:ignore="ScopedStorage" />

<!-- ios/Runner/Info.plist -->
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Why you need the camera.</string>
<key>NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>Why you need always-on location.</string>

iOS — permission_handler preprocessor macros

permission_handler's iOS code is gated by #if PERMISSION_* compile-time macros. Without those macros defined, the underlying request silently returns denied and no system dialog ever appears. Add them in ios/Podfile inside the post_install block, listing only the permissions your app actually uses (App Store reviewers flag unused permission frameworks):

post_install do |installer|
  installer.pods_project.targets.each do |target|
    flutter_additional_ios_build_settings(target)

    target.build_configurations.each do |config|
      config.build_settings['GCC_PREPROCESSOR_DEFINITIONS'] ||= [
        '$(inherited)',
        'PERMISSION_CAMERA=1',
        'PERMISSION_MICROPHONE=1',
        'PERMISSION_LOCATION=1',          # location, locationWhenInUse, locationAlways
        'PERMISSION_CONTACTS=1',
        'PERMISSION_PHOTOS=1',
        'PERMISSION_NOTIFICATIONS=1',
        'PERMISSION_EVENTS=1',            # calendar
        # 'PERMISSION_REMINDERS=1',
        # 'PERMISSION_SPEECH_RECOGNIZER=1',
        # 'PERMISSION_MEDIA_LIBRARY=1',
        # 'PERMISSION_SENSORS=1',
        # 'PERMISSION_BLUETOOTH=1',
        # 'PERMISSION_APP_TRACKING_TRANSPARENCY=1',
        # 'PERMISSION_CRITICAL_ALERTS=1',
        # 'PERMISSION_ASSISTANT=1',
      ]
    end
  end
end

After editing the Podfile, run cd ios && pod install --repo-update once so the new defines are baked into the Xcode project.

Usage

import 'package:permission_handler_auto_back/permission_handler_auto_back.dart';

Future<void> requestAllFilesAccess() async {
  final status = await Permission.manageExternalStorage.requestWithAutoBack();
  if (status.isGranted) {
    // user toggled "All files access" ON in Settings, app is back in foreground
  }
}

Future<void> requestCamera() async {
  // Normal runtime permission. If the user has previously denied it twice, the
  // plugin will open the app details page and auto-back when granted.
  final status = await Permission.camera.requestWithAutoBack();
}

The full permission_handler API is still available on the imported Permission, so you can mix and match:

final status = await Permission.notification.status;
if (status.isDenied) await openAppSettings();

Cancelling an in-flight request

If your screen is disposed while the user is still in Settings, cancel the polling so the future completes and resources are released:

@override
void dispose() {
  cancelPermissionAutoBack();
  super.dispose();
}

Supported permissions

requestWithAutoBack() is an extension on Permission, so you can call it on every permission that permission_handler exposes — Permission.camera, Permission.contacts, Permission.photos, anything. The runtime dialog and status checks always work, identical to calling request() directly.

What this plugin adds on top is the auto-back-from-Settings behavior, which has two flavors on Android:

Special permissions — open dedicated Settings page

These permissions cannot be granted via a runtime dialog at all; the user has to flip a switch in a system Settings page. The plugin opens the right page directly and watches for the toggle.

Permission	Settings page opened
manageExternalStorage	All files access
systemAlertWindow	Display over other apps
requestInstallPackages	Install unknown apps
scheduleExactAlarm	Alarms & reminders (Android 12+)
ignoreBatteryOptimizations	Battery optimization
accessNotificationPolicy	Do Not Disturb access

Runtime permissions — auto-back on permanent denial

These go through the normal runtime dialog. If the user has previously denied them twice and the status is permanentlyDenied, the plugin opens the app details page and watches for the user to toggle the permission on.

camera, microphone, location, locationWhenInUse, locationAlways, contacts, phone, sms, storage, photos, videos, audio, notification, calendar, calendarFullAccess, calendarWriteOnly, sensors, sensorsAlways, bluetooth, bluetoothScan, bluetoothConnect, bluetoothAdvertise, nearbyWifiDevices, activityRecognition, accessMediaLocation.

Note on locationAlways: the extension grants foreground location first if needed, then hands off to permission_handler.request() so the OS itself redirects the user straight to the app's location-permission page (Android 11+) or shows the Allow all the time dialog (Android 10). At the same time the native side polls ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION — the moment the user toggles Allow all the time the app is brought back to the foreground automatically, exactly like the special-permission flow.

iOS-only permissions

speech, mediaLibrary, photosAddOnly, reminders, appTrackingTransparency, criticalAlerts, assistant, backgroundRefresh — these go through permission_handler unchanged. iOS does not support programmatic foreground return, so auto-back is a no-op on iOS.

If you call requestWithAutoBack() on an Android permission that isn't in either of the two tables above and it ends up permanentlyDenied, the plugin falls back to permission_handler's openAppSettings() without polling. You will need to detect the grant yourself via AppLifecycleState.resumed.

How it works

Dart: Permission.manageExternalStorage.requestWithAutoBack()
  └─► MethodChannel("openSettingsAndAutoBack", { permission: "manageExternalStorage" })

Android (PermissionHandlerAutoBackPlugin):
  startActivity(ACTION_MANAGE_APP_ALL_FILES_ACCESS_PERMISSION)
  Handler(mainLooper).postDelayed(check, 500)
    check:
      if Environment.isExternalStorageManager():
        startActivity(launchIntentForPackage(packageName)) with
          FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK | CLEAR_TOP | SINGLE_TOP | EXCLUDE_FROM_RECENTS
        result.success(true)
      else if elapsed > 5min:
        result.success(false)
      else:
        repeat in 500ms

FAQ

Does this work with Flutter add-to-app? Yes — the plugin uses getLaunchIntentForPackage() to bring the app back, which works with any launcher Activity registered in your manifest.

What about iOS? iOS apps cannot programmatically return to the foreground from the Settings app. On iOS, requestWithAutoBack() is a passthrough to Permission.request(). The user has to navigate back manually. Listen to AppLifecycleState.resumed to refresh permission status.

Can I have two auto-back flows in flight? No. Starting a second request cancels the first; the first call's future resolves to PermissionStatus.denied.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome at github.com/lequangkydev/permission_handler_auto_back.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.