Are we ready for Android Enterprise? This is a top-of-mind question for many customers. Back in July 2019, my colleague Kevin Binder wrote a blog post informing customers about the recommendation from Google around Device Adminstrator APIs and moving to Android Enterprise.
With Google announcing the depreciation of Device Administrator APIs and moving to Android Enterprise APIs, here are some helpful reminders to get you started if you haven’t already.
The best place to get started? Citrix documentation, of course. Our Android Enterprise documentation details the approach for moving to Android Enterprise, starting with guidance on Google’s Android Enterprise Migration Bluebook, which breaks down the process into four steps.
- Analysis: Understanding your current deployment
- Requirements mapping: Determining the best Android Enterprise features for your organization
- Proof of concept: Testing your deployment with Citrix Endpoint Management
- Deployment: Beginning your deployment with Citrix Endpoint Management
Another great resource to help you on your Android Enterprise journey is the webinar my colleague Chetan Thakkar and I did together with Google to highlight some of the best practices for deploying Android Enterprise with Citrix Endpoint Management. It’s available on demand now. Here, we discuss the best practices on migrating from Device Administrator to Android Enterprise policies; how Android Enterprise together with Citrix Endpoint Management will deliver the best use cases for BYO devices; and the latest supported enrollment modes and how each of these can help solve different use cases.
I also want to highlight that beginning July 1, 2020, Device Administrator enrollments for Android 10 devices will be blocked by Citrix Endpoint Management. Our focus is to avoid security exceptions for our customers that may arise when using Device Administrator APIs when invoked. Some of these include DISABLE_CAMERA, DISABLE_KEYGUARD_FEATURES, EXPIRE_PASSWORD, and LIMIT_PASSWORD.
What does this mean?
New enrollments and re-enrollments of an Android 10 device using legacy Device Administrator mode after July 1 will no longer be supported and will fail to enroll. Devices using Android 10 must enroll or re-enroll using Android Enterprise.
What are my options if I cannot migrate all my devices to Android Enterprise before July 1?
To be clear, only devices that are on Android 10 will be affected when you enroll using Device Administrator APIs. It is important to note that support for Android Enterprise is available for devices with Android 6 and above.
What is the best approach to take if I have devices already running Android 10 with Device Administrator APIs?
You’ll need to migrate devices currently running Android 10 to Android Enterprise on or before July 1 to ensure support for this device. The device will not stop working until a re-enroll is needed.
If you haven’t started the move to Android Enterprise, there’s no better time than now. Our recommendation is to start moving all Android devices to Android Enterprise, starting with Android 10. Android Enterprise is the modern management platform that provides the rich features you need to continue to manage and secure your Android devices.
For even more information on Android Enterprise, check out our Android Enterprise product page. I also invite you to visit our what’s new page for updates specific to Citrix Endpoint Management.
