Mobileadvert plugin automatically add "Read_phone_state"

Dear All,

I have created a simple test app and use mobile advert to monetize it then i created an unsigned release of the app and use apksigner to sign it. when i publish the app in google play console, in the store listing i am getting "Your app has an APK with version code 1000000 that requests the following permission(s): android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE. Apps using these permissions in an APK are required to have a privacy policy set."

so i made a android project build of this simple app and check the manifest file. there were no user-permission asking for READ PHONE STATE . so maybe the mobile advert plugin is responsible.

i dont intend to ask for any user information in my simple games but i want to monetize it using google admob. so if this permission gets added automatically then what happens with the user data collected. did google collect it for its ads and if it is google then why i need to set my privacy policy and if i create a privacy policy then what use of it because i am not the one collecting the data.

also, if this permission is automatically gets added into the apk file, then the user will be prompted for this permission and it will look suspicious. this will prevent many to install my simple game.

So what to do. I am puzzled.

I am struggling with the same issue...

Hope someone will come with an awenser

I'm having the same issue; from the CSGO community I get paranoid reactions because my game on Google PlayStore asks for:

'Access to photos/media/files'

'Read USB Storage - Modify or delete USB Storage'

'View network connections - full network access'

They think my app could contain some kind of spyware...

My app contains ads so maybe its the Mobile Advert plugin that uses these permissions to store ads ?

Can anyone tell me how to disable these permissions or at least the first 2 ?