Is This Normal? Understanding Unexpected Location Tracking and System App Permissions

In the world of mobile technology, user privacy is a paramount concern. We entrust our devices with vast amounts of personal data, and we rely on the operating system to act as a diligent gatekeeper. We expect transparency and control over what our applications can and cannot do. But what happens when the lines blur? What occurs when a core system component, an app we cannot remove, begins to exhibit behavior that seems to defy our explicit settings? A user recently reported a deeply unsettling scenario on their custom Android device: the Settings application was accessing their location data approximately every four minutes, despite location services being globally disabled and no specific app permissions being granted. Worse yet, the permission for the Settings app itself appeared to be locked in a granted state, greyed out and unchangeable.

This situation is not merely an annoyance; it is a significant breach of the expected contract between user and device. It raises fundamental questions about consent, control, and the integrity of the operating system itself. When we investigate this issue, we are not just troubleshooting a single user’s problem. We are exploring the intricate and often opaque architecture of modern mobile operating systems, the nature of system-level permissions, and the potential vulnerabilities introduced by custom firmware. Is this normal behavior? Absolutely not. But understanding why it is happening requires a deep dive into the mechanics of permission management, the privileges of system apps, and the specific context of a modified Android environment. This article will dissect this issue comprehensively, providing a forensic analysis of the problem and offering robust, expert-level solutions to reclaim your digital privacy.

The Anomaly: Deconstructing the Unauthorized Location Pings

The core of the user’s complaint is a series of highly specific and disturbing behaviors. To fully grasp the gravity of the situation, we must break down each component of the report. It is not a single, isolated event but a combination of several indicators that point to a systemic issue.

Persistent and Regular Access Without Consent

The first and most alarming detail is the frequency of the location pings. The Settings app is accessing location data every four minutes, both after every device unlock and continuously during active use. This is not an occasional, passive check for a localized service like weather. This is an active, repeated query for precise geolocation data. Such a pattern is characteristic of a service or daemon designed for constant monitoring, such as a fleet tracking application, a parental control tool, or, in more sinister scenarios, spyware. For a core system component like the Settings app to exhibit this behavior is fundamentally abnormal. The Settings app’s primary function is to provide a user interface for system configuration. Its need for location access should be limited to contextual actions, such as assisting with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth device scanning, and even then, it should only occur when those specific functions are actively initiated by the user. A continuous, four-minute interval polling mechanism serves no legitimate user-facing purpose.

The Illusion of Control: Greyed-Out Permissions

The second critical component of this anomaly is the failure of the permission management system. The user states that location access for the Settings app is “greyed out,” meaning the option to revoke consent is disabled within the user interface. This is the most damning piece of evidence. Under normal Android operation, a user must retain ultimate control over permissions. While some permissions might be required for an app to function (and the system may warn you about this), the ability to revoke a permission should generally remain. When a permission is greyed out, it typically signifies one of two things:

1. The app is a critical system component whose functionality is deemed essential by the device manufacturer or the OS developer.
2. The device is in a managed state, such as being controlled by a corporate device management policy (an MDM or EMM solution).

However, neither of these justifications holds up under scrutiny here. There is no conceivable reason why the Settings app would require constant location access to perform its core functions. Furthermore, the user is not operating a corporate device but a personal one with a custom ROM. This points to a more sinister possibility: a bug, a misconfiguration, or a malicious alteration within the custom firmware that has incorrectly or maliciously granted the Settings app an elevated, immutable privilege.

The Context of Custom ROMs and Root Access

The user’s device information is crucial. They are running LineageOS 22.2 (a nightly build from January 2026) on a OnePlus 6. LineageOS is a popular custom Android distribution that offers a clean, stock-like experience with enhanced privacy and customization features. However, it is built by a community of developers and is not subject to the same level of rigorous, multi-layered security auditing as official OEM firmware like Samsung’s One UI or Google’s Pixel UI. The mention of a “nightly” build further indicates that the user is running a version of the OS that is compiled from the latest source code, often multiple times a day. These builds are inherently less stable and can contain bugs that are not present in official “stable” or “release” versions.

Furthermore, the context provided includes a link to a “Magisk Module Repository.” This strongly implies that the device is rooted with Magisk, and custom modules are installed. Magisk is a powerful tool for gaining root access and modifying the system without altering the system partition, but it introduces a massive security variable. A poorly coded or malicious Magisk module can intercept system calls, grant unauthorized permissions, and fundamentally alter the behavior of the operating system. It is entirely possible that a module designed to “fix” something or “add a feature” has inadvertently ( or intentionally) manipulated the permission database, causing the Settings app to be treated as a system-privileged app with unchangeable permissions.

Investigating the Root Causes: Where is the Flaw?

To solve this problem, we must act as digital detectives. The behavior described is a symptom, and we must identify the underlying disease. The fault could lie in three primary areas: the application’s code, the operating system’s permission framework, or an external modification.

Malicious Code or Unintended Bugs in the Custom ROM

The first possibility is that the user-installed custom ROM, LineageOS 22.2 Nightly, contains a bug. Nightly builds are, by their nature, experimental. A recent commit to the source code could have introduced a regression in how system apps are handled. Perhaps a developer inadvertently changed a property in an Android manifest file for the Settings app, flagging it as requiring a “signature” or “system” level permission that cannot be revoked by the user. Alternatively, there could be a bug in the Settings app itself, causing it to improperly request location data in a loop. While this is less likely to result in a greyed-out permission, it remains a remote possibility. A more concerning thought is that the ROM was compiled from a compromised source, or the downloaded build was tampered with, injecting malicious code designed to exfiltrate data.

System App Privilege Escalation

The term “system app” carries significant weight in Android. These are applications located in the /system/priv-app or /system/app directories and are granted a higher level of trust by the operating system. They have access to a set of permissions known as “signature” or “privileged” permissions, which are unavailable to regular apps installed from the Play Store. The Settings app is, by definition, a system app. However, its permissions should still be manageable. The “greyed out” state suggests that the permission has been registered in the system’s package manager (package.xml) as being granted at a level that supersedes user control. This could be due to a faulty permission controller, a misconfigured overlay, or a direct modification of the system’s permission database by a root-level tool or module. This elevation of privilege effectively bypasses the user’s consent, turning a feature designed for control into a tool of violation.

The Role of Magisk and Its Modules

Given the user’s mention of a Magisk Module Repository, this is the most probable source of the issue. Magisk modules work by mounting their own files into the system at boot time, effectively overlaying or modifying the original system files. A module could, for example, replace the system’s permission controller or directly edit the package manager’s database to grant a specific app an unchangeable permission. There are modules designed to “debloat” the system, “enhance privacy,” or “fix” GPS issues. A module designed for one of these purposes could have an unintended side effect, causing the Settings app to become stuck in a privileged state. Even more concerning are malicious modules that can operate in the background, and the user may have installed one, believing it to be a benign utility. The fact that the user can download modules from a repository means they are actively modifying their system, and this is the single most likely vector for this type of deep-seated system corruption.

A Step-by-Step Diagnostic and Remediation Plan

We cannot simply tell you to “reset the permission” because the UI has already failed. We must take a more methodical, technical approach to diagnose and resolve this issue. The following steps are ordered from least invasive to most invasive, designed to isolate the source of the problem.

Step 1: Logcat Analysis - Seeing the System’s Inner Workings

The first step in any advanced Android troubleshooting is to consult the system logs. The logcat command provides a real-time stream of messages from the Android operating system, including every time an app requests a permission or the system grants one. We need to capture a logcat session to see exactly what is happening when the Settings app accesses location.

1. Set up ADB (Android Debug Bridge): This requires enabling “USB Debugging” in the Developer Options on the device and installing the ADB tools on a connected computer.
2. Capture the Log: With the device connected, run the command adb logcat -v time > location_log.txt to save the log to a file.
3. Reproduce the Issue: Unlock the device and let it run for a few minutes to trigger the expected location pings.
4. Analyze the Log: We would then search the log file for keywords like LocationManagerService, requestLocationUpdates, Settings, and permissions. A clean log would show no such requests. A corrupted system would show repeated, unsolicited requests from the Settings app, potentially being granted by a service called permission controller or package manager. This log is the definitive proof of where the request originates and why it is being approved.

Step 2: Deactivating Magisk Modules

This is the most critical diagnostic step. Since Magisk is the most significant system modification, we must determine if it is the cause.

1. Reboot into Magisk: Restart the device and use the Magisk app’s “reboot to recovery” function or a specific key combination (often Volume Up + Power) to boot into the Magisk environment.
2. Deactivate All Modules: Within the Magisk interface, there should be an option to “Deactivate all modules.” This will prevent them from loading at boot, temporarily restoring the system to a state closer to its unmodified core.
3. Reboot and Test: Reboot the device normally. Check if the location permission for the Settings app is now manageable (i.e., not greyed out). Monitor for the 4-minute location pings.
4. Identify the Culprit: If the problem disappears, you have confirmed a Magisk module is the cause. The next step is to reactivate the modules one by one, rebooting after each, until the issue reappears. The last module you activated is the one causing the problem. You should then uninstall it immediately.

Step 3: Using ADB to Revoke Permissions Manually

If deactivating Magisk modules does not resolve the issue, we can use ADB to bypass the flawed user interface and directly command the system’s package manager.

1. Find the Package Name: The Settings app may have a package name like com.android.settings, but this can vary in custom ROMs. You can find it by listing all packages with adb shell pm list packages | grep settings.
2. List Current Permissions: To confirm the permission status, use the command: adb shell dumpsys package com.android.settings | grep -i "permission".
3. Force Revocation: The command to revoke a permission is adb shell pm revoke <package_name> <permission_name>. In this case, it would be adb shell pm revoke com.android.settings android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION and adb shell pm revoke com.android.settings android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION.
4. Reboot and Verify: After running this command, reboot the device. While this may not work if the system is designed to forcibly re-grant the permission on boot, it is a powerful test. If it works, you have regained control and can now investigate the root cause at your leisure.

Step 4: The Nuclear Option - Clean Flash and Data Wipe

If the above steps fail, it is highly likely that the corruption is not in a module but deep within the system partition or user data partition. In this case, the only guaranteed solution is to perform a clean installation of the operating system. This will wipe all data, so it is crucial to back up everything important first.

1. Backup Your Data: Use backup apps, cloud services, or manually copy important files to a computer.
2. Download a Fresh Image: Go to the official LineageOS website or the trusted source for your OnePlus 6 (enchilada) and download a recent stable build, not a nightly.
3. Flash the ROM: Using a custom recovery like TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project), wipe the System, Data, Cache, and Dalvik partitions.
4. Install the New ROM: Flash the newly downloaded LineageOS zip file.
5. Initial Setup: Set up the device without immediately restoring a full system backup or reinstalling all your old Magisk modules. Test the device in its pristine state. If the problem is gone, you have confirmed the issue was caused by a corruption in your old installation, likely from a module or a faulty ROM build.

Conclusion: Reclaiming Sovereignty Over Your Device

The behavior described—a system app silently and repeatedly tracking your location with a locked-in permission—is unequivocally abnormal and unacceptable. It represents a critical failure in the device’s privacy safeguards. While the immediate cause is likely a misbehaving Magisk module or a bug in an experimental custom ROM build, the underlying theme is the fragility of the mobile security model when modifications are made. Tools like Magisk and custom ROMs offer incredible power and freedom, but they also transfer a significant burden of responsibility to the user.

By following a systematic diagnostic process, starting with log analysis and Magisk module deactivation, it is possible to isolate the source of this intrusive behavior. In most cases, the issue can be resolved by identifying and removing the offending component. In more severe instances, a clean flash of the operating system becomes necessary to purge the corruption and restore the device to a trustworthy state. The path back to privacy requires diligence, a methodical approach, and a clear understanding that on a modified device, you are the ultimate guardian of its integrity. Normalcy is control, and in this case, that control must be forcefully and decisively reclaimed.