How do I request camera and location permissions in Flutter on both Android and iOS?

1. Declare permissions on each platform

Android, android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml (above <application>):

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION"/>

iOS, ios/Runner/Info.plist (a missing usage string crashes the app on access):

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>We use the camera to scan barcodes.</string>
<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>We use your location to show nearby stores.</string>

2. iOS: enable the permission in the Podfile

permission_handler compiles only the permissions you enable. In ios/Podfile, inside post_install, set the macros, for example:

config.build_settings['GCC_PREPROCESSOR_DEFINITIONS'] ||= [
  '$(inherited)',
  'PERMISSION_CAMERA=1',
  'PERMISSION_LOCATION=1',
]

Without this, requests return denied without ever showing a prompt. Check the package README for the macro names of your version.

3. Request flow in Dart

Future<bool> ensureCamera(BuildContext context) async {
  var status = await Permission.camera.status;
  if (status.isGranted) return true;

  status = await Permission.camera.request();
  if (status.isGranted) return true;

  if (status.isPermanentlyDenied) {
    // the OS will no longer show the dialog; send the user to settings
    await openAppSettings();
  }
  return false;
}

Good practice

• Ask in context (when the user taps "Scan"), after a short explanation screen, not at app launch.
• Handle denied, permanentlyDenied and (iOS) restricted separately.
• On Android 13+ notifications need POST_NOTIFICATIONS; photo access has granular media permissions.
• Test with a fresh install; permission state persists across hot restarts.

See a full pattern in the push permission flow snippet.