Wondering why Shift asks for some specific permissions? Find your answers here!🕵️

Shift asks for certain permissions or "scopes" so you can use certain features in Shift, specifically Epic Search, Mute Notifications, and Unified Calendar.  When you allow Shift access to these permissions during the OAuth process, this provides the Shift desktop application on your computer access to Google/Microsoft APIs to access your email accounts, calendars and drives on your behalf. 

This access and the information within each service are strictly local to the Shift desktop application on your computer. None of the information contained in any of these scopes, including what is rendered within each service is ever sent to or stored on Shift's servers. Additionally, no one who works at Shift or with any of Shift's data partners can view this information, ever.

Please note, that starting in June 2024, Google will be introducing Granular consent. This will allow users who have added a Gmail into Shift the ability to pick and choose which Oauth scopes (permissions) they want to accept upon login. If you choose to not accept all the permissions, you will miss out on features that rely on the acceptance of those permissions, specifically Epic Search, Unified Calendar, and Mute Notifications. You can still use your email in Shift even if you do not allow all permissions.

Below is some more information about the specific permissions that Shift asks for and why they are required.

View your email messages and settings

This scope allows the Shift application to authenticate with Shift's servers to use in the Epic Search and Mute Notifications features so that Shift can surface search results from your mailbox and silence desktop notifications for new email messages when the feature is turned on. We do not have the ability to read your emails or have any access to the contents of your mailboxes. 

If you choose to deny the email permission, you still be able to send/receive emails like usual, get notifications and badges, and have your avatar displayed in the sidebar. You will however see warnings on the Epic Search and Mute Notifications features. These warnings cannot be dismissed in these features until you have allowed the email permission for all Google emails added in Shift.

See and download all your Google Drive files

This scope is used by the Epic Search feature in Shift which allows you to search for files in your drive accounts. We do not have the ability to read your drive contents or have any access to the contents of your drives.

If you deny the drive permission, you’ll still be able to access and use mailbox-connected apps as usual (apps in the upper right corner). You will also be able to access your Drive files and use them normally. You will, however, see warnings on the Epic Search feature. These warnings cannot be dismissed until the user has allowed the drive permission for all of their Google emails added in Shift.

See and download your calendars

This scope is used by the Unified Calendar, Mute Notifications and Epic Search features so that Shift can see when to turn off notifications based on the events scheduled in your calendar. We do not have any access to the contents of your calendars.

If you deny the calendar permission, you’ll still be able to access and use mailbox-connected apps as usual (apps in the upper right corner). You will also continue to get desktop notifications for events in your calendar if you have notifications turned on. You will, however, see warnings on the Epic Search calendar filter, Unified Calendar and Mute Notifications features. These warnings cannot be dismissed until the user has allowed the calendar permission for all their Google emails added in Shift.

_________________________________________________________________________________

What's next?

Learn answers to frequently asked questions about Shift's Privacy Policy here.

View Shift's full privacy policy here.