Capabilities

By default your app has no special device permissions. Request only what it needs by adding capability blocks under permissions in waid.config.json. WAID then declares the matching OS permissions and wires up the native glue. Every flag defaults off.

Each block below goes inside permissions:

{
  "name": "wildlife-journal",
  "dist": "dist",
  "permissions": {
    "media": { "cameraCapture": true },
    "host": { "vault": true }
  }
}

media: audio, video, camera, microphone#

"media": {
  "audioPlayback": true,
  "videoPlayback": true,
  "cameraCapture": true,
  "microphoneCapture": true,
  "cameraUsageDescription": "Camera is used for video capture.",
  "microphoneUsageDescription": "Microphone is used for audio capture."
}

Voice recording (host.recorder)#

microphoneCapture also gives an Android app the host.recorder API. There is no separate capability key: recording needs exactly the microphone permission this flag already grants.

const id = await host.recorder.start()      // begins a new recording
await host.recorder.pause()
await host.recorder.resume()
const { peak } = { peak: await host.recorder.amplitude() }  // 0..32767, for a waveform
const memo = await host.recorder.stop()     // { id, url, durationMs, sizeBytes, createdAtMs }
 
await host.recorder.state()                 // 'idle' | 'recording' | 'paused'
await host.recorder.list()                  // stored recordings, newest first
await host.recorder.remove(id)

Recordings are encoded to AAC .m4a in app-private storage, so they need no storage permission and are invisible to other apps. stop() returns a file:// URL you can hand straight to an <audio> element.

Three behaviours to design around:

• The first start() raises the permission prompt and fails. Nothing else in a recorder app triggers one. The grant is asynchronous, so the user records on the next tap, so treat it as a prompt, not an error.
• The microphone is exclusive. Don't hold a getUserMedia audio stream while recording; take your level meter from host.recorder.amplitude() instead.
• A clip too short to encode is discarded and stop() reports the failure, rather than leaving an unplayable entry in list().

On iOS and desktop the API exists but reports NotSupportedError for capture, while list() and state() degrade quietly so a recorder UI still renders.

contacts: device contacts (Android)#

"contacts": { "read": true, "write": true }

read reads contacts; write creates/updates/deletes them.

photos: photo/video library (Android)#

"photos": { "readImages": true, "readVideos": true }

Read the device's photo and video library (distinct from live media capture).

telephony: calling (Android)#

"telephony": { "placeCalls": true, "readCallState": true, "defaultDialer": false }

messaging: SMS (Android)#

"messaging": { "send": true, "read": true, "receive": true, "defaultSmsApp": false }

Send, read, and receive SMS; defaultSmsApp makes your app the default SMS app (plain SMS, no MMS).

alarm: background alarms (Android)#

"alarm": { "alarms": true }

Schedule real alarms that ring over the lock screen and survive reboot.

launcher: home launcher (Android)#

"launcher": { "homeLauncher": true, "launches": ["com.acme.other"] }

Let your app be the device home screen.

storage: all files access (Android)#

"storage": { "allFilesAccess": true }

Browse and modify all device storage, as a file manager would (Android MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE). This is separate from the photo library in photos. Google Play reviews this permission closely, so turn it on only when your app is a file manager or needs equivalent access.

haptics: vibration (Android)#

"haptics": { "enabled": true }

Lets navigator.vibrate drive the device vibrator (Android VIBRATE).

host: host functions#

Native host functions your app can call. Available on desktop, Android, and iOS. shell is desktop only: Android and iOS builds fail if it is set.

"host": { "actions": true, "vault": true, "fs": true }

Location (host.location)#

"host": { "location": { "whenInUse": true, "precise": true } }

Device position while your app is in the foreground, available as navigator.geolocation on desktop, Android, and iOS.