This is about the continuous background location permission. In the past years they have cracked down on this, yes. But nothing forbids you from requesting the

This is about the continuous background location permission. In the past years they have cracked down on this, yes. But nothing forbids you from requesting the foreground approximate or fine location permissions. So yes, this hypothetical flashlight app can request the permission. The user has to allow it in some way - approx or precise, one-time or always. But also nowadays the users sees when & what app is requesting these kind of permissions. It's a moot point. (For background location there's an extensive form in the play store, you even have to send videos in many cases - for foreground, there's nothing)