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So I rooted my phone recently and want to thoroughly clean up my phone. I specifically want to remove a file in /etc/permissions (or /system/etc/permissions) called android.hardware.location.gps.xml, which I assume is for location and GPS services.

What consequences (negative or otherwise) will there be if I remove this file from its original directory?

I should add, my phone is an Acer V370 (Liquid E2) with Android 4.2.2

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  • Looking at the file content, I guess that it defines the permissions that an app which requires your location, must request. Theoretically, removing or altering the file may either render an app that meets the above criteria useless, or make it unable to perform position triangulation.
    – Grimoire
    Apr 14, 2016 at 20:38
  • If cleanup is the purpose of your action, those 942 byte will certainly free a lot of space – good choice!</humor> Arguing by content, the files in that directory seem to define the hardware features required for a given permission. While I've got no idea what would happen if you remove one (note that not all permissions have a file here, so removing that might just mean "no requirements, just grant it"), with "cleanup" being the only purpose I'd focus on other things.
    – Izzy ♦
    Apr 15, 2016 at 5:47

1 Answer 1

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Your GPS and location based services will have problems. It's an .xml file. Try googling it and find the file then paste it in it's location(if you have deleted it)

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  • What if I don't use any GPS and location-based services? What happens to apps that request permission to access GPS? Will they crash completely on launch, or will they just refuse to use GPS if made to do so? I have not deleted the file yet.
    – Lester Small
    Apr 14, 2016 at 15:44
  • This answer does not attempt to solve the question, since OP is perfectly able to Google a filename. Therefore, I vote to remove it.
    – Grimoire
    Apr 14, 2016 at 20:34
  • You can get play services crashing notification frequently or Google play store crash which will be annoying. You can need GPS service anytime. I recommend not to delete it @SLester
    – Aashish Kumar Shaw
    Apr 15, 2016 at 2:17
  • @AashishKumarShaw can you back your statement somehow? Why should location services have problems with the file removed? On my device, I see no file for "internet" there – but my network connections don't seem to have issues :)
    – Izzy ♦
    Apr 15, 2016 at 5:49

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