Android device management

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Miradore's Android device management capabilities utilize Android Enterprise, which is Google's modern framework for managing Android 5.0 and newer devices. Miradore is an official Google partner for Enterprise Mobility Management.

 

Android management methods

Miradore supports two modes for controlling Android devices through Android Enterprise. You can choose either one of the device management modes when you enroll device(s) in Miradore. Here are a few considerations to help you choose the best mode for your needs.

Work profile (a.k.a. Profile owner) mode enables you to secure company data on a personal (employee-owned) device without risking the user's privacy. The work profile is a container, which isolates work data and apps from personal use on an Android device.

This management method is the best choice for Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) scenarios where employees or contractors are allowed to use their personal devices for working and accessing your organization's resources. This management method does not require you to factory reset devices.

If users want to avoid work interruptions during weekends or vacations, they can temporarily disable the work profile through device settings.

Learn to manage device using the work profile:
How to enable a work profile on an Android device

Fully managed device (a.k.a. Device owner) mode is intended for managing devices owned by your company/organization. This management method gives IT administrators control over extended device settings and additional controls that are not available when controlling devices using the Work profile.

Device users cannot remove the management from fully managed devices directly, but the users can perform a factory reset, which removes the management. In order to prevent this scenario, you can deploy a configuration profile from Miradore which denies the factory reset from the device users.

Notice that this management method requires you to factory reset the devices during the enrollment.

Learn to manage individual devices using the Fully managed device mode:
Enroll an Android device in fully managed device mode using NFC
Enroll an Android device in fully managed device mode using QR code
Enroll an Android device in fully managed device mode using a token

Learn how to automate the enrollment and configuration of devices for larger device deployments:
Google Zero-touch enrollment
Samsung Knox Mobile Enrollment

 

Supported features by management method

Feature / Management method    Work profile   Fully managed device
Block users' access to consumer Play Store Yes Yes
Control which apps are available to users in managed Google Play store Yes Yes
Configure managed applications remotely Yes Yes
Configure always on VPN remotely Yes Yes
Configure device encryption remotely Yes Yes
Configure passcode requirements Yes Yes
Deny screen captures Yes Yes
Deny the use of camera Yes Yes
Deploy apps silently Yes Yes
Deploy contact information Yes Yes
Deploy files to the devices Yes Yes
Perform remote wipe for the profile/entire device Yes Yes
Prevent data roaming - Yes
Prevent file transfer over USB - Yes
Prevent the use of text messaging (SMS) - Yes
Prevent users from performing a factory reset - Yes
Prevent users from mounting external media to the device - Yes
Prevent Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or tethering configuration - Yes
Set up devices automatically using Android Zero-touch - Yes
Supports Samsung Knox Mobile Enrollment - Yes

 

Good to know

Work profile and many advanced management features of Fully managed device mode require Enterprise subscription of Miradore.

Some management features can be enabled by configuring a free managed Google Play Enterprise account for your organization.

There can be variance between device manufacturers and Android versions in what management features are supported for managing an Android device. The rule of thumb is that the latest Android versions support the widest possibilities for remote device management. If you haven't yet purchased devices or if you are not sure whether your devices support Android Enterprise, you can check the list of Android Enterprise Recommended devices validated by Google. If you cannot find your device from the list, we have also create a guide that helps you test whether your devices support the enterprise management features.

Miradore also supports the management of legacy devices (pre-Android 5.0) through Google's Device Administrator API. This management method is not recommended for post-Android 5.0 devices because Google has deprecated the Device Administrator API in newer Android versions.


Please send comments to contact@miradore.com.