Restricted Permissions: When Google Asks for a Declaration Form
Certain permissions — SMS, Call Log, and a few others — are classified as restricted and require a separate Permissions Declaration Form in Play Console explaining your core use case, beyond just declaring the permission in your manifest.
The trap: apps that request these permissions for a secondary, non-core feature (like an optional "invite via SMS" flow) often get rejected because restricted permissions are meant to be justified by your app's *primary* function, not a nice-to-have feature.
The fix
Fix: if a restricted permission isn't central to what your app does, consider removing it — the justification bar is specifically about core functionality.
The same check runs automatically when you upload your bundle to the AAB analyzer — permissions, SDK fingerprints, and version info in one pass, free.
Keep going
Run this check on your own AAB
Free analysis, exports when you need them.