java.lang.SecurityException: MODE_WORLD_READABLE no longer supported

Question

The exception only occurs in Android 7.0 Nougat (emulator) devices.

java.lang.SecurityException: MODE_WORLD_READABLE no longer supported

My code:

public void SessionMaintainence(Context context) {
    this.context = context;
    preferences = context.getSharedPreferences(PREF_NAME, Context.MODE_WORLD_READABLE);
    editor = preferences.edit();
    editor.commit();
}

LogCat:

> E/AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
>                                                  Process: burpp.av.feedback, PID: 2796
>                                                  java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to create application
> burpp.av.feedback.FeedbackApplication: java.lang.SecurityException:
> MODE_WORLD_READABLE no longer supported
>                                                      at android.app.ActivityThread.handleBindApplication(ActivityThread.java:5364)
>                                                      at android.app.ActivityThread.-wrap2(ActivityThread.java)
>                                                      at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1528)
>                                                      at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
>                                                      at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:154)
>                                                      at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:6077)
>                                                      at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
>                                                      at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:865)
>                                                      at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:755)
>                                                   Caused by: java.lang.SecurityException: MODE_WORLD_READABLE no longer supported
>                                                      at android.app.ContextImpl.checkMode(ContextImpl.java:2162)
>                                                      at android.app.ContextImpl.getSharedPreferences(ContextImpl.java:363)
>                                                      at android.app.ContextImpl.getSharedPreferences(ContextImpl.java:358)
>                                                      at android.content.ContextWrapper.getSharedPreferences(ContextWrapper.java:164)
>                                                      at burpp.av.feedback.support.SessionMaintainence.<init>(SessionMaintainence.java:63)
>                                                      at burpp.av.feedback.FeedbackApplication.onCreate(FeedbackApplication.java:43)
>                                                      at android.app.Instrumentation.callApplicationOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1024)

Solution

World-readable files can be a security flaw. So android first deprecated it and then completely removed it. MODE_WORLD_READABLE was deprecated in versions till Android M. But in Android N it is no longer supported and throws SecurityException. So try a different mode. I used Context.MODE_PRIVATE and it worked.

Comments

[Opiatefuchs]

look into the documentation, MODE_WORLD_READABLE is deprecated because it´s too dangerous.: developer.android.com/reference/android/content/…

[CommonsWare]

As the error indicates, MODE_WORLD_READABLE is not supported. Remove that flag from your getSharedPreferences() call, replacing it with MODE_PRIVATE or 0.

[Abdul Gaffar]

There is a huge demand of 'MODE_WORLD_READABLE' in my application. And its been working fine till 6.0 but its not working with 7.0

[Abdul Gaffar]

if i use MODE_PRIVATE then i cant able to share some datas to other application. and if i use MODE_WORLD_READABLE it does allows to share some datas but it is not secured. So what should i do in this case.

[Anand Savjani]

What if I want to access shared preference value in another app? Have you any find out any solution for it?

[IgorGanapolsky]

Is this also applicable to getDefaultSharedPreferences?

[Rakesh Yadav]

the method is context.getSharedPreferences(PREF_NAME, MODE), I don't find getDefaultSharedPreferences(). If it is getSharedPreferences() what you are asking for, then the answer is yes, because we preference name and MODE (which was asked in the question).

[Sufian]

@R.Y he's referring to PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(Context context).

[Sufian]

@IgorGanapolsky I think default prefs use private mode. You will either have to check the AOSP source code or maybe someone has already asked it on the internet. Anyway, since the SharedPreference is created by the framework itself, we can assume that this exception will not occur with getDefaultSharedPreferences().

[Samuel Owino]

Context.MODE_PRIVATE has worked for me too. thanks @RakeshYadav

[Rajesh Nasit]

@IgorGanapolsky yes