To explain my problem, I am building a flutter that is using OTP verification using phone number for user authentication. My application worked with 0 faults in my android emulator, but after uploading the code on play store console, I could not have the OTP functionality working on my physical device.
To counter the mentioned problem, I added the following code in my AndroidManifest.xml file:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_SMS" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_SMS" />
After adding the above code and publishing the updated bundle, my update gets rejected by the Play Store. Please tell me what should I do now?
Steps to be followed :
If your app requires these permissions, ensure that you provide a clear and justifiable reason. Google requires apps to explain why such permissions are needed in the app.
https://developer.android.com/training/permissions/requesting#explain
Make sure that a new privacy policy of the application contains information on how and why these permissions are going to be used. The privacy policy should be integrated with the application display and also on your page on play store.
Alternative Approach
If your app needs to verify phone numbers or retrieve an SMS without user input, consider using the SMS Retriever API.
https://developers.google.com/identity/sms-retriever/overview
With the SMS Retriever API, you can perform SMS-based user verification in your app automatically, without requiring the user to manually type verification codes and without requiring any extra app permissions.
This API works without requiring the RECEIVE_SMS permission.
If the SMS Retriever API isn't an option for your app, users can also manually enter a verification code.
Read this link for more information :