Configuring Google Chrome for Android devices using managed app configurations

Learn how to remotely configure Google Chrome for Android devices using managed app configurations.

Requirements

• You must have a Miradore Premium or Premium+ Plan, or an active trial.
• You must have Administrator or Editor rights on the Miradore site.
• Managed Google Play Enterprise must be configured and enabled on the Miradore site.
• The devices on which managed configurations are to be deployed must be enrolled with a work profile or as fully managed devices.

Add Chrome to Miradore as a managed app

1. Navigate to Management > Applications and select Add > Android application.
2. Select Managed Google Play store, then select Next.
   
3. Search for Google Chrome using the search bar, then select its tile from the results.
4. Click Select.
   

Results: The Google Chrome app is added to your Miradore site and the application's page opens. The same page can be opened by navigating to Management > Applications and double-clicking the application's row in the table.

Define managed configurations for the Google Chrome app

Miradore offers you the possibility to create different application configurations for your managed devices by creating specific configuration sets for the same application.

1. On the application page, select the Configurations tab and click Select configuration > Add configuration.
2. Enter a name for your configuration in the text box and press Enter.

   Note: You can make the configuration default for the application by ticking the Default checkbox.

   Result: The newly created configuration is open on the Configurations tab.

3. Select the icon next to the setting you wish to configure.
   Result: The Add managed property to application configuration wizard opens.
   Tip: Managed configuration settings can be removed by selecting the icon to the right of the setting and selecting Remove in the Remove managed property from application configuration wizard.
4. Specify the managed property settings.
   All managed property values are described in the Chrome Enterprise policy list.
5. Select Add, then Close.
6. Continue configuring the desired settings.
7. Deploy the configured application to the managed devices.

The deployment of the configured managed Google Chrome application can be automated using a business policy. This way, the business policy will deploy Google Chrome with the selected configuration to all devices that are within the scope of the business policy.

Update the deployed application

If you made changes to the application's configuration after deploying the application on your managed devices, the app must be updated on the devices.

1. Navigate to Management > Applications and double-click the configured Google Chrome application's row in the table.
2. On the Main tab, select the application version.
3. Select Actions > Update managed configuration at the top of the page.
   

Set up Google Chrome in kiosk mode with managed configurations

With Miradore, you can set your fully managed devices into kiosk mode so that device users can only use selected applications. To set up the Google Chrome application with managed configurations, do the following:

1. Configure the desired managed configuration settings for Google Chrome and deploy the application to your devices.
2. Set the device into single-app kiosk mode as described in Configuring home screen apps for the Kiosk mode with 1 app or Kiosk mode with multiple apps configuration type.

Troubleshooting

The Google Chrome app is not visible on the device

Problem:

If the Google Chrome app is not visible on the device, the cause might be one of the following:

• The device was enrolled in Miradore without system applications.
• The use of the Google Chrome app is blocked by a configuration profile.

Solution:

Since the Google Chrome app is one of the system applications on Android devices, you can create a configuration profile for allowing the use of the app on the device. For detailed steps, see Managing Android system applications with blocklists and allowlists.

The deployed Google Chrome application with managed configurations cannot be removed from the device

Problem:

After deploying the Google Chrome application with managed configurations on a device, re-deploying the app without managed configurations can get stuck in In progress status.

Solution:

Remove the currently deployed Google Chrome application from the device and redeploy the app without managed configurations.

1. Navigate to Management > Applications and double-click the configured Google Chrome application's row in the table.
2. On the Main tab, select the application version.
3. Select Actions > Remove application at the top of the page.
4. In the Remove application wizard, select the devices from which the application should be removed, then select Next.
5. Select Remove to confirm the removal, then Close the wizard.
6. Reinstall the application on the device without managed configurations.

App deployment is stuck in In progress status

Problem:

Application deployment can get stuck in In progress status if the app is already installed on the device. Many Android devices have the Google Chrome application preinstalled by default. It is possible that during enrollment, the preinstalled version cannot be converted to a managed application.

Solution:

Try one or more of the following solutions:

• Re-enroll the device in Miradore without system applications. For detailed information on removing system applications during enrollment, see Managing Android system applications with blocklists and allowlists.
• Blocklist the Google Chrome application and use a different browser, such as Chrome Beta, which you can also install and configure remotely with Miradore. For detailed information on blocklisting system applications, see Managing Android system applications with blocklists and allowlists.
• Update the Google Play app on the device and install possibly missing Android System WebView updates.
• If the device was enrolled in Miradore using QR code mass-enrollment, ensure that a user has been assigned for the device.