Configuring permissions

At Canva, the privacy of our users is a top priority, but there are many valid reasons for apps to have access to their data. To balance these concerns, the Apps SDK has a permissions system that lets developers access user data while ensuring that users remain informed and in control of what data is accessed.

In the Apps SDK, some methods have an associated permission. If an app uses one of these methods, the permission must be enabled via the Developer Portal. If the permission is not enabled, the app cannot be approved for release.

By requiring apps to enable permissions, Canva can inform users of what data the app will have access to — and what the app can do with that data — before the user installs it.

Before a user installs an app, they're shown a screen that explains what the app is and what permissions are required to install it. If an app doesn't require any permissions, no requirements are listed.

If the user doesn't accept the app's permissions, the app can't be installed.

If a user uninstalls an app, all permissions are revoked.

The permissions required by an app depend on the methods called by the app. For the complete list of permissions, along with the methods associated with those permissions, see List of permissions.

1. Navigate to an app via the Your apps⁠(opens in a new tab or window) page.
2. Under the App permissions heading, enable the required permissions.

This section lists the permissions that can be enabled for an app, including the methods that require the permission to be enabled. The required permissions are also listed on the API reference pages for each method.

The app may read the content of the user's design.

The following methods require this permission to be enabled:

• getCurrentPageContext
• initAppElement, if the app calls the registerOnElementChange method
• selection.registerOnChange, if the app calls the read method

The app may modify the content of the user's design.

The following methods require this permission to be enabled:

• addAudioTrack
• addElementAtCursor
• addElementAtPoint
• addNativeElement
• addPage
• initAppElement, if the app calls the addOrUpdateElement method
• selection.registerOnChange, if the app calls the save method

The app may download assets from the user's media library.

The following methods require this permission to be enabled:

• getTemporaryUrl

The app may upload assets to the user's media library.

The following methods require this permission to be enabled:

• upload