Google’s Android Management API, aimed at developers working within the enterprise mobility management (EMM) lifecycle, has been released from Beta.
First released into a Beta phase last October, the Android Management API enables users to manage devices using a server-side API, reducing a developer’s work as they no longer have to write code for enterprise management applications.
The Android Management API is part of Android Enterprise, a Google offering that gives developers a set of tools to build applications for companies, allowing them to manage their Android device fleets.
As the API comes out of Beta it has full device support across a range of Android devices and brings a new suite of management features.
A company’s developer would normally come up with an on-premise or cloud enterprise mobility management console where employees create device enrollment tokens and management policies.
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Enrollment tokens are used to bind devices to an enterprise, a process named enrollment and provisioning. Once created a token can be moved to a device and tied to a specified user. These tokens are then used to enroll company devices and facilitate the application of management policies to the enrolled devices.
The Android Management API lets you associate one user with up to ten devices across your network.
Android Management API
With Android Management API in the developer backend it creates the policies and tokens. Each device in your network would have the companion application Android Device Policy installed and through this policy settings are automatically administered onto chosen devices.
Nikita Kostylev Software Engineer at Android Enterprise commented in a blog post that: “Customers and EMM’s can manage devices using a server-side API and eliminate the need to write a management app. Because we provide the managing agent, developers don’t need to handle nuances of the framework implementation, such as which APIs are available or what bugs need to be worked around on given versions of Android.”
The Android Management API is available on any android device with the capability to run Marshmallow or Android 6.0.
Ian Marsanyi Product Manager Android Enterprise wrote in a blog post that: “Now we’re pleased to introduce work profile and fully managed device support to the Android Management API, bringing the Android Management API out of beta by offering a complete suite of management features for nearly any use case.”
“Developers of all kinds use the Android Management API to enrol and apply policy to Android devices using only a server-side API, managing entire device fleets with just a couple REST API calls. Without the need to develop or QA a custom Android management app, the Android Management API helps developers get to market faster and deliver more of Android’s latest features to customers.”
