Adding new permissions with different behaviors for new vs. upgrading users

[DreamBuilder Team]

Hi

I want to add a new permission to host_permissions, but I need clarification on the behavior:

• For new users installing the extension for the first time, I'd like the permission to be enabled by default (by declaring it in host_permissions).
• For existing users upgrading to the new version, I want to make this permission optional (with the ability to enable/disable it).
  If they decline, they can still use the extension without this permission.

From what I've found, this doesn't seem possible because:

• If I declare it in optional_host_permissions, it will be optional for both new and upgrading users.
• If I keep it in host_permissions, it will be mandatory for everyone and show WARNING for old users.
  Then if old user decline new permission - app will get completely disabled.

Is this correct? Or are there alternative approaches to achieve this behavior?

Any insights would be appreciated!

[Oliver Dunk]

Hi,

Your understanding of what is possible today is correct.

There is some discussion of an alternative approach in the WebExtensions Community Group that you might be interested in: https://github.com/w3c/webextensions/pull/798. We're generally open to this, but note that it is just a proposal from an external contributor right now, and not something we have approved or are currently implementing.

Oliver Dunk | DevRel, Chrome Extensions | https://developer.chrome.com/ | London, GB

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[DreamBuilder Team]

Thank you for such a quick reply, 

Indeed, this appears to be exactly what we require, particularly for extensions that cater to thousands of users, where the risk of losing users due to the new Permission WARNING is considerable.

Do you have any idea when this might be taken into validation&development?

[Oliver Dunk]

Not at the moment - but hopefully it will continue to move forward.

We need to all approve the proposal, and then it will be a case of prioritizing this on our product roadmap. We'll definitely make sure to share when it is available though.

Oliver Dunk | DevRel, Chrome Extensions | https://developer.chrome.com/ | London, GB