Scoped storage
Also known as: Android scoped storage, app file access Android, storage permissions Android
Scoped storage is Android’s privacy model that limits which files an app can see. An app gets free access to its own private folder and to shared media it owns, but needs explicit permission to touch the rest of your files.
- Android privacy model limiting app file access
- Apps get their own sandbox plus the media they own
- Required since Android 11
How it limits access
Before scoped storage, an app granted storage permission could read your entire file system. Phased in from Android 10 and required since Android 11, scoped storage replaces that with sandboxing: each app has its own private directory, and broad access to everything else is gone.
Apps can still reach shared photos, videos, and audio through the system media library, and they use the system file picker (Storage Access Framework) when they need a specific document you choose. This keeps one app from quietly snooping through another’s files.
What it means for cleanup
Because of scoped storage, a third-party cleaner cannot freely scan every folder the way old apps did — it works through the media library and the files you grant. This is why Android’s built-in tools and Files by Google, which have system-level access, can surface caches and files an outside app cannot.