Mandatory and optional in-house and secure apps
An Android in-house app made available through the App Catalog can be designated as a mandatory app, which means that the app is always installed on the devices matching the app’s labels. An app that is not marked as mandatory is optional, and enables the users to decide whether or not to install the app on their devices. The in-house app can be either an AppConnect app (secure app) or a regular, non-AppConnect app.
Designating the Secure Apps Manager as optional and all secure apps as optional means that the device user sets up the secure apps container on-demand. See On-demand secure apps container setup.
To set the prerequisite app for a dependent app, see App management action workflows.
Silent install and uninstall of mandatory apps
You can specify that mandatory in-house apps and secure apps are silently installed and uninstalled on:
- Samsung Knox devices MDM version 1.0 or newer versions
- Zebra MX running version 4.4 or newer versions
- LG devices that support silent installation - The LG device must be running:
- Android 7.0 or newer versions
- Ivanti Mobile@Work 9.7 or newer versions
The Silent install for Mandatory Apps feature eliminates any dependency on the device user to install or uninstall the app. Also, when you retire a device (when, for example, it is lost or stolen or the employee has left the company), the silently installed in-house and secure apps are silently uninstalled, thereby protecting the apps and their data.
Note the following:
- Samsung Knox devices prevent the user from uninstalling the app.
- Silent install and uninstall are not supported on MAM-only Android devices.
- Silent install and uninstall are not supported for apps from the Google Play Store.
- AppConnect apps are not supported on devices using the Samsung Knox container. Do not install AppConnect apps if you are using the Samsung Knox container on the same device.
Uninstall behavior for silently installed apps
Installed apps are silently uninstalled when:
- No label maps the in-house or AppConnect app to the device. You apply labels to in-house and AppConnect apps to make the apps available to devices. Removing the label from the app or the device causes Ivanti Mobile@Work to uninstall the app.
- You retire the device.
- You remove the in-house or AppConnect app from Ivanti EPMM.
Whether device users are notified to install a mandatory app
Although a mandatory app is always installed on the device, whether the device user sees a notification to install the app depends on whether the silent installation feature is enabled. The following table specifies when a device user sees the notification:
Table: Mandatory app installation interaction with Silent Installation
Is app marked for silent installation? | Samsung Knox, Zebra, and LG devices that support silent installation | Devices that do not support silent installation |
|---|---|---|
Yes | Silently installed with no notification to user | Notification to user to install |
No | Notification to user to install | Notification to user to install |
Device user experience with uninstalling a mandatory app
The device user experience when attempting to uninstall a mandatory app depends on the type of device, as specified by the following table:
Table: Device user experience with uninstalling a mandatory app
| Samsung Knox | Zebra devices that support silent install/uninstall | LG devices that support silent install/uninstall | Devices that do not support silent install/uninstall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Can device user uninstall a mandatory app when the silent install/uninstall feature is enabled? | No | Yes, but the app will be silently reinstalled. | Yes, but the app will be silently reinstalled. | Yes, but the device user will be notified to re-install the app. |
Can device user uninstall a mandatory app when the silent install/uninstall feature is not enabled? | No | Yes, but the device user will be notified to re-install the app. | Yes, but the device user will be notified to re-install the app. | Yes, but the device user will be notified to re-install the app. |
Designating an in-house app as optional or mandatory
After you have added the app to the App Catalog, you can designate whether it is an optional or mandatory app.
The below procedure applies to the following type of applications:
- Android in-house apps
- iOS in-house and public apps
- MacOs in-house and public apps
- AppConnect apps
Procedure
- In the Ivanti EPMM Admin Portal, go to Apps > App Catalog.
- Select an app and then select Actions > Apply to Labels.
- In the Apply to Labels dialog box, select the check box next to the app's name.
- Click in the Mandatory field, a drop-down displays. Selecting Yes makes the selected app mandatory; leaving it to the default No makes the app optional.
- Click Apply.
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