diff --git a/AndroidManifest.xml b/AndroidManifest.xml
index ed0ef5368..6f2e08783 100644
--- a/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE"/>
+    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
  
     <!-- Only required if a store implements push mail and needs to keep network open -->
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK"/>
diff --git a/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageView.java b/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageView.java
index 411c5ba2a..9b8ffc1a2 100644
--- a/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageView.java
+++ b/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageView.java
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ public class MessageView extends Activity
      * @param filename
      * @return a new File object, or null if one could not be created
      */
-    private File createUniqueFile(File directory, String filename) {
+    /* package */ static File createUniqueFile(File directory, String filename) {
         File file = new File(directory, filename);
         if (!file.exists()) {
             return file;
diff --git a/tests/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageViewTests.java b/tests/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageViewTests.java
index 6cd89f7bd..98d36f602 100644
--- a/tests/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageViewTests.java
+++ b/tests/src/com/android/email/activity/MessageViewTests.java
@@ -21,30 +21,23 @@ import com.android.email.Email;
 import com.android.email.MessagingController;
 import com.android.email.Preferences;
 import com.android.email.R;
-import com.android.email.mail.MessageTestUtils;
-import com.android.email.mail.Message;
-import com.android.email.mail.MessagingException;
-import com.android.email.mail.MessageTestUtils.MessageBuilder;
-import com.android.email.mail.MessageTestUtils.MultipartBuilder;
-import com.android.email.mail.MessageTestUtils.TextBuilder;
 import com.android.email.mail.internet.BinaryTempFileBody;
-import com.android.email.mail.internet.EmailHtmlUtil;
-import com.android.email.mail.store.LocalStore;
 
 import android.app.Application;
-import android.content.ContentResolver;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
-import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase;
-import android.net.Uri;
+import android.os.Environment;
 import android.test.ActivityInstrumentationTestCase2;
 import android.test.suitebuilder.annotation.MediumTest;
 import android.test.suitebuilder.annotation.Suppress;
-import android.util.Log;
 import android.webkit.WebView;
 import android.widget.TextView;
 
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
+import java.io.FileOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
@@ -134,6 +127,30 @@ public class MessageViewTests
         assertNotNull(mMessageContentView);
     }
     
+    /**
+     * Test that we have the necessary permissions to write to external storage.
+     */
+    public void testAttachmentWritePermissions() throws FileNotFoundException, IOException {
+        File file = null;
+        try {
+            file = MessageView.createUniqueFile(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory(),
+                    "write-test");
+            OutputStream out = new FileOutputStream(file);
+            out.write(1);
+            out.close();
+        } finally {
+            try {
+                if (file != null) {
+                    if (file.exists()) {
+                        file.delete();
+                    }
+                }
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                // ignore cleanup error - it still throws the original
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    
     /**
      * Tests that various UI calls can be made safely even before the messaging controller
      * has completed loading the message.  This catches various race conditions.