Stronger management of company-owned devices with Android 15 for business
15th October, 2024 For company-owned devices, Android 15 empowers you with advanced management capabilities to help you take control, optimize your fleet of devices, and safeguard your business – on your terms. Explore new tools to navigate the modern workplace with Android 15. Streamline eSIM management for managed devices Android 15 streamlines adding, removing and provisioning eSIMs on both company-owned devices and managed BYOD devices. Simple eSIM management* on managed devices makes it easier to onboard and offboard employees. This means IT admins can spend less time setting up eSIM devices, and more time on impactful work. *For all devices, eSIM management is conducted via the EMM. Additionally, for BYOD devices, the device’s owner is responsible for using and activating the eSIM, and the user can delete the eSIM at any point. Secure personal profiles and private spaces on COPE devices Extend your existing personal app policies to the private space on company-owned devices. IT admins have better control over the device’s security posture with a limited set of privacy preserving security restrictions* for selected apps outside the Work Profile on company-owned devices. An additional set of privacy safe security configurations for core apps will be made available at a later date. *AMAPI managed devices will have the ability from Android 15 onward. Managed configurations apply only to company-owned, personally enabled (COPE) devices. Enforce the default apps for personal profile on company-owned devices IT admins can now enforce the default dialer, messaging app, and browser* in the personal profile when setting up company-owned devices to add an extra layer of security without compromising user experience. * Available only on company-owned, personally enabled (COPE) devices. IT admins can only make an app the default if it’s already in the user’s personal profile. To ensure OEM defaults for dialer and browser are set, this feature should be configured prior to set up. Enable seamless searching for your teams with Circle to Search Forget juggling multiple apps. With new admin controls for Circle to Search* on both fully managed devices and within the Work Profile, IT can confidently empower employees to search directly from their work apps. They can simply circle, scribble, or tap content for more information. *Circle to Search requires internet connection and compatible apps and surfaces. Results may vary depending on visual matches. For Android Enterprise managed devices, the feature is available on fully managed devices and devices with Android Work Profile. For company-owned, personally enabled (COPE) devices, Circle to Search is subject to the IT admin’s ability to turn off screen capture, which will disable the feature. For employee-owned devices with an Android Work Profile, Circle to Search within the personal profile remains unaffected by IT admin policies. Available on Pixel P8, P8 Pro, P6 series, P7 series, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Samsung S24 series, S23 series (incl. FE), S22 series, S21 series, Z Flip 3/4/5, Tab S9 series, Tab S8 series. Extend battery life with screen brightness and timeout controls Android 15 introduces screen brightness and timeout period controls* for company-owned devices. IT admins can adjust settings to optimize device efficiency for frontline staff, extending battery life to help them power through a shift without any device downtime. *Available on company-owned, personally enabled (COPE) devices, fully managed devices, and dedicated devices. Read Enhanced employee and device protection with Android 15 for business next. Learn more in our Help Center FAQ. Register for the community to access and download these images and an Android 15 slide deck. How helpful will these new features be to your business? We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback below!Productivity: What are your top apps?
Hello everyone, My feed is constantly brimming with new ways to be productive, and whether your go-to method is to-do lists or time blocking, one thing they have in common is that apps and tools can make a huge difference! In the interest of working smarter, we asked a few folks in our team to share the apps that help them stay ahead of the workday. Our most-used productivity apps In no particular order, here’s what they came back with…can you tell we work at Google? 🙈 Organise your notes and set reminders: Google Keep lets you capture, edit, share and collaborate on your notes. A stand out feature for our team is the location-based and time-based reminders, that let you set and forget until that relevant on-site meeting. Right notes, right place, right time. Choose the right playlist to motivate you: There’s nothing like music or a podcast to drown out the distractions and help you focus on a project. Several of the team loves Spotify and the personalised daily music mixes. Not only do we discover new music, but there’s less wasting time torn between Taylor Swift or Fleetwood Mac, and more diving straight into a spot-on soundtrack to spur on that next big idea. Coordinate your time: It might seem obvious, but we’d be lost without Google Calendar. As well as keeping track of meetings, you can also check the availability of team members, making scheduling so much easier. This applies to home life too. Family and friends can add events into your personal section, so you never miss a birthday or ball game again. To-do lists: Google Tasks is a fantastic to-do tool that helps you get things done. You can create tasks from anywhere, add details and subtasks, and then integrate them with Gmail and Calendar. The question is, do you add tasks you’ve already done for the dopamine hit? (We can't be the only ones.) Manage your projects or daily tasks: For cross-functional projects, Asana is a management maestro. It helps us focus on individual tasks and the bigger picture, with workflows, dependencies and deadlines in one place. The ‘My Tasks’ section makes it easy to see everything that’s been assigned to you, and has tools to prioritise. And feedback flows easily through comments, likes and uploads directly on tasks. Happy inbox, happy life! Classic for a reason, Gmail makes it super simple to stay on top of emails, and integrates seamlessly with workspace, so you can see calendar invitations and chat with colleagues without having to switch between apps. Adding labels to emails is also a great way to manage what you need to reply to and when. Our global team loves the schedule send feature, which lets you send emails at a time that's convenient for your recipients. It's a win-win for productivity and wellbeing! Now it’s your turn! These are just a few of our favourites and there are many apps out there that can help. We're always looking for new ways to be more productive, so we'd love to hear about your favourite apps and hacks. Whether they're Google apps or not, let us know in the comments below. And if you do use any of the same apps as us, what are some of your most used features? We, and the community, thank you!Managed Google Play Collections
The Managed Play Store and the Google Play iFrame play a major role in Android Enterprise Management and the Collections are important for managing and displaying apps in the Managed Store. Basically, the collections work well, but I also see room for improvement there. These would not only be useful for admins, but also for users. But first a step back: There are two different layouts: Basic and Custom. A collection (or ‘cluster’) can have up to 100 apps. Basic is a single collection Custom allows up to 30 collections Easier sorting in the iFrame The apps are sorted in the iFrame using arrows next to the app icons. Especially with large collections, it becomes a task of patience when an app has to be sorted to the back. A drag & drop feature would make customisation much more convenient. Backup / restore of collections A restore function for collections was asked for in another topic. In addition to ‘edit’, ‘delete’ and ‘duplicate’, “export” and ‘import’ would also be useful in the iFrame. (see above screenshot) Collections could be backed up and restored in this way. Be it to have only one backup, to configure a collection in a test environment exactly as in the production environment or to design a collection externally with tools and then upload it. (e.g. manual customisation of the json data of a backup) More variation for collections in the custom layout In the ‘Custom’ store layout, the collections are displayed one below the other. The mixture of vertical (between the collections) and horizontal (within the collection) scrolling can become somewhat confusing. In addition, you cannot recognise at first glance whether it is a very large or rather small collection, as usually only 3 apps are displayed. As long as you don't have many apps, the basic store layout is often much cleaner. It could therefore be useful to define a number of (app) lines per collection that are displayed in the MGP. (with 1 line as default) Or an option where a collection is displayed completely in MGP instead of scrolling sideways. There are different types of collections in the normal Google Play Store. It would be useful to be able to choose between the different variants. (See ‘Popular apps’ / Business tools") Do you have any other ideas and suggestions for MGP Collections? 😃
Play Protect Blocking Custom DPC Apps — How to Get Approval or Alternatives?
Hi everyone, I'm a developer who helps enterprises build custom DPC (Device Policy Controller) Reference Documentation apps to manage Android devices based on their unique requirements. Recently, Play Protect has started blocking the installation of custom DPC apps, even when these apps are signed and used internally. The warning claims the app may pose a risk due to access to sensitive data - even though it's strictly for enterprise use. To make things more difficult: Google is no longer accepting registration of custom DPC apps with Android Enterprise, which limits official distribution and management options. Android Management APIs don’t support all use cases, and also have quote limit. I’ve applied twice to join the Android Enterprise portal to build a SaaS-based device management platform, but both requests were rejected without a clear reason. My questions for the community: Is there any official way to get a custom DPC app approved or whitelisted by Play Protect? Are there any alternative ways to manage Android devices at scale (outside of AMAPI or legacy EMM)? How can new developers or startups gain access to Android Enterprise features when onboarding is currently restricted? Any help, direction, or shared experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kulwinder[Community survey] Android App Management features and security
Hello everyone, We've had a couple of surveys this month, so I hope you don't mind another. Here in the Customer Community, one of our most popular topic areas is on app management, so I'm hoping this survey is an interesting one for you all. 🤞 It would be great to hear your thoughts and ideas on ways you would like application management features and security to develop further. If you have a spare moment, please take the short survey below and if you have any additional questions, please to reply to this topic below (by clicking 'Reply'). All of the feedback will be passed over to our Product team. Feel free to share this with any colleagues or others working in this area, as it would be great to get a good amount of feedback around this. Thank you in advance for taking the time to do this. 😀 Lizzie Loading… Interested in other surveys? It would be great to hear your feedback on AE secure logs.
Request for Android Community: Advice and Help on Playing Pre-Recorded Voice on Calls
To the Esteemed Android Developer Community, I am seeking your expert advice to understand whether my task is feasible on the Android platform. I aim to implement the following functionality: Task Description: Objective: I want to create an Android app that plays a pre-recorded voice message during a phone call. The app will: Automatically answer an incoming call when it is ON. Play a pre-recorded audio file stored on the user's phone (recorded by the user). Audio Content: “I am busy right now, call back after some time.” Disconnect the call after playing the message. Usage Scenario: This feature will be used only when the app is ON. It is intended for times when the user is busy and wants to inform the caller without manually attending the call. Key Requirements: Detect and answer incoming calls automatically. Play the recorded voice message to the caller. Ensure the caller hears the message clearly on their end. Disconnect the call programmatically after the message is played. Questions for the Community: Is this Task Feasible? Can the Android platform route a pre-recorded voice file to the call audio stream (STREAM_VOICE_CALL) so the caller can hear it? Are there technical or carrier-level restrictions that could prevent this functionality? Android APIs or Services: Are there specific APIs, such as TelecomManager, CallScreeningService, or AudioManager, that can handle this requirement effectively? Privacy and Legal Concerns: Are there any privacy or legal considerations (e.g., notifying the caller) that I should be aware of when implementing this feature? Compatibility Across Devices: How can I ensure compatibility across different Android devices and versions (API 26 and above)? Additional Information: Voice File: The pre-recorded message is stored locally on the user’s phone in a secure folder. App Activation: The functionality will work only when the app is manually turned ON by the user. Intent: This is a personal productivity tool to handle calls during busy periods. Help Needed: Advice: Can you confirm whether this task is achievable on the Android platform with existing APIs and hardware? Are there specific approaches or best practices to consider for implementing this? Code Implementation: I am looking to hire an experienced Android developer who can: Write fully working code to achieve this task. Ensure the solution is robust, privacy-compliant, and compatible across devices. I deeply appreciate the Android community's expertise and guidance. Your input will help me determine the feasibility and approach for this project. If you have any suggestions, insights, or are interested in developing this, please reply to this request.
