Is there any way to disable Google Play Protect (GPP) during QR code enrollment to avoid blocking an MDM app?
I am the developer of Headwind MDM, the open source MDM for Android. In December 2025, many of our users reported the same issue. While installing an MDM app by the QR code method, it is blocked by Play Protect: "This app can request access to sensitive data". A detailed description of the issue is here. As per Play Protect guidelines, this may happen if an app uses sensitive permissions—RECEIVE_SMS, READ_SMS, NOTIFICATION_LISTENER, and ACCESSIBILITY. We removed these permissions in May 2025, and at that time the issue was resolved. Unfortunately the issue re-appeared again in December, and we were unable to determine why Headwind MDM agent is blocked at the enrollment stage. Even removing all permissions from the manifest didn't resolve the issue! Looks like there is an AI which automatically blocks software in an opaque way (by signature or code similarity). Interesting - sideloading and installing the same MDM agent APK on a non-managed device doesn't trigger Google Play block! I'm not talking about the ethics as it was already discussed in another related topic. All I know is that this behavior of Play Protect is a critical threat to our MDM project. Technically, is there a way to bypass Play Protect, for example by adding a parameter in the enrollment QR code? P.S. I already submitted the appeal form. If you have a similar issue, please fill and submit this form, this may speed up the issue resolution.
Device Owner Enrollment Error: “Organization Has Reached Its Usage Limits” Even With Zero Devices
Hi everyone, I’m trying to enroll a fully managed Android device using the Android Management API. I generate an enrollment token, create the QR code, factory reset the device, and start the QR-based provisioning process. Everything works until the Android Device Policy step, where I get the following error: “Since your organization has reached its usage limits, this device can’t be set up.” I am unable to get past this point. Here is what I have already checked: Listing devices through the API returns an empty list. There are no enrolled devices at all. Billing is active on the cloud project and the Android Management API is enabled. Enterprise creation works, policies return correctly, and I can generate enrollment tokens without any issues. The device is correctly factory reset and the QR scan is working as expected. I tested with both a Workspace-based enterprise and a Gmail-based enterprise. The same limit error appears on both, even though both enterprises have zero devices. I moved the cloud project under my organization in Google Cloud to avoid any project-level quota problems. Based on everything I have checked, it appears that the enterprise (or account) has been automatically restricted to a device quota of zero, and the restriction has not lifted even after several days. I would like to understand the following: Is this quota lock normal for new enterprises, and how long does it usually take to lift? Is this quota tied to AMAPI commercial approval? Is it expected that zero devices can be enrolled before approval? Is there any way to request a quota review so that at least one test device can be enrolled? I am building a commercial EMM solution and simply need to test device-owner provisioning on a physical device, but I am currently blocked by this limit. Any guidance from the community or anyone who has dealt with the same situation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Enable ADB debugging is grayed out - This setting is managed by your administrator
This issue was documented in 2021 but with no solution. My Chromebook is managed by my company and I am the manager. But Google tries to find the managed option to unlock for this to work in the administration interface for more than 15 days without success. By the way there are thousands of options in the admin interface it could be a clever feature to number them. If you are in front of the same issue please add your comments to this post. I hope that Google support will succeed to solve the issue soon because I developed my first app for Android on my Chromebook with Android Studio and I was able to download it to my phone before these 15 days.Tech Newbie interested in mobile cyber security, after multiple hacking events, seeking suggestions, tips, advice etc, to get involved.
Hello All, I am looking for advice, tips, suggestions, or helpful info, to begin a career/ journey into the world of Mobile Cyber Security and Tech. My interest was sparked after multiple hacking events that were very damaging to my life, my digital life, my work life, my relationships, my mental, physical, and emotional health, my data, information, and intellectual property of my business, and more. Now I am being pulled to learn how to protect myself first, and second so that I may be able to help others. I guess Ethical Hacking is the term. Any info helps. Thank you, Androidc3po
EOL Status of OpenCensus Jars and Request for Migration
During a recent review, we noticed that some of the Android Enterprise dependencies we use — specifically opencensus-api and opencensus-contrib-http-util — have not been updated for several years. --> Last release: 0.31.1 (April 29, 2022) These libraries are currently required as dependencies for google-http-client.jar, which we use to initialize HTTP clients for API calls. If we exclude the OpenCensus jars, the application fails at runtime with missing class errors. Therefore, these jars are currently mandatory for successful execution. However, from a security perspective, our central security team does not allow bundling outdated or unsupported dependencies. We would appreciate your guidance on the following points: Are there any plans to update or refactor google-http-client.jar to remove or upgrade its dependency on the legacy OpenCensus libraries? Is there an alternative approach or supported path to use OpenTelemetry (or any other supported telemetry library) in place of OpenCensus for tracing and metrics? We already raised in following portals and no update received, so posting it here AE Partner Escalations Git hub discussions Expert Forum Any roadmap updates or migration guidance would be extremely helpful.Do certifications matter when researching new devices?
Hey everyone, Episode 3 of The Secure Element went live last month! Bigdogburr (our go-to security expert) sat down with Brian Wood from Google’s Device Security and Privacy team to unpack how devices get approved for use in the US federal government. Spoiler: it’s not simple! From government-approved labs running tests, to annual re-certifications, to the role of NIAP (National Information Assurance Partnership) — there’s a lot going on behind the scenes to make sure devices are truly secure and trustworthy. When you’re looking at new devices, do you pay attention to security certifications or accreditations? If so, what certifications are you most interested in your region? Or do you focus on something else entirely? Let me know your thoughts below — I’d love to hear how you approach this! Chat soon, Emilie
Intermittent QR Code Provisioning Failures with Identical Source Code
I am experiencing inconsistent behavior with QR code provisioning for Android Enterprise and am seeking guidance from the community. The Issue: QR code provisioning works intermittently, but the failure pattern is inconsistent. A provisioning QR code generated from a specific APK build will work reliably. However, subsequent builds of the exact same source code from the same Android Studio project will sometimes fail. The device displays a generic "Contact your IT admin" error. What I've Verified: The APK is properly signed and the checksum in the QR code is correct. The server delivers the APK with the correct application/vnd.android.package-archive MIME type. The DeviceAdminReceiver is correctly declared in the manifest and the associated XML resource exists. The package name and component name in the QR code are 100% accurate. Comparing a "working" APK and a "failing" APK in APK Analyzer shows no differences in the core components (package name, receivers, resources). Question: Has anyone else encountered this? Are there known issues with Android's provisioning service being sensitive to certain aspects of the APK build output that are not related to the core functionality or signature? Any insight into how to achieve consistent, reproducible builds for provisioning would be greatly appreciated.
Why openNetworkConfiguration not working in enrolled device?
I have enrolled a device and want to use managed wifi on that device. I have used following configuration- "openNetworkConfiguration": { "Type": "UnencryptedConfiguration", "NetworkConfigurations": [ { "GUID": "inovex_wifi", "Name": "INovex-Dev", "Type": "WiFi", "WiFi": { "SSID": "INovex-Dev", "Security": "WPA-EAP", "EAP": { "Outer": "EAP-TLS", "Identity": "faruk", "DomainSuffixMatch": ["dms.mobi-manager.com"], "ServerCARefs": ["ca_inovex"], "ClientCertType": "Ref", "ClientCertRef": "client_inovex" } } } ], "Certificates": [ { "GUID": "ca_inovex", "Type": "Server", "X509": "ca_base64" }, { "GUID": "client_inovex", "Type": "Client", "PKCS12": "client_base64" } ] } My expection is This network automatically save in wifi list As I set client and server certificate the device should connect automatically For information I have used freeradius server for authentication.
