When Flatpak apps need to play sounds, they must use the --socket=pulseaudio option, or the PipeWire equivalent, both of which also allow the app to record sounds. Flatpak issue #6082 requests a finer-grained permission so this warning isn’t needed for apps that only play sounds. My request in the meantime is to adjust the displayed warning message, to avoid confusion.
If a user sees “Probably safe - Microphone access”, they may be surprised that an app with no valid connection to audio recording is requesting that permission, as if it were explicitly requested.
Would it be possible to change the message to something like “Probably safe - Audio access: playback and microphone”? I’m not sure of the best way to phrase it, but a message like this does help communicate a connection between audio input and output, while still informing the user of potential for misuse of the microphone.
I feel like adjusting the language in gnome-software would still provide a useful warning, while making more sense to end users.
In a discussion on the Flatpak forums, someone mentioned that they generally follow GNOME’s lead on issues like this, so I’m wondering if this is a change you would be willing to make?