What it means
Permission to post notifications lets an app display its alerts. Special notification access can let an app read, reply to or control other notifications on the phone. The second permission can expose message previews and verification codes, so it requires a separate trust decision.
A real-world example
A fitness app may ask to show exercise reminders, while a smartwatch companion asks to read incoming chat notifications so it can display them on the watch. Their scopes differ.
What to do
Inspect Special app access and leave notification reading enabled only for an app whose purpose you understand. Test a harmless notification after removing it.
The distinction that matters
Disabling posting from one app does not necessarily revoke special access to other apps' notifications. Google documents a distinct Notification access or Notification read, reply & control setting in Android. Check both settings when cleaning up an old app.
Google's notification-access controls
