More likely it was a call like: if (permissions["whatever"]) { Do code} instead of if (has_permission("whatever")) And the first if was copy/pasted

More likely it was a call like: if (permissions["whatever"]) { Do code} instead of if (has_permission("whatever")) And the first if was copy/pasted across the entire app. So when you have to change the logic of that permission, you don't have a central, official, way of figuring it, instead you have checks all over the app.