Kiosk mode configuration profile for Android

The Kiosk mode configuration profile enables you to restrict managed Android devices to specific applications, enhancing security and control.

About the Kiosk mode configuration profile

The Kiosk mode configuration profile allows you to lock down your managed Android devices to a single application or multiple applications. The configuration profile offers the following options:

• Single-app kiosk mode
• Multi-app kiosk mode
• Customizable device UI feature availability
• Customizable system restrictions

Tip: While you can use the Kiosk mode configuration profile for your Android devices, we recommend you use the Home screen & kiosk mode configuration profile instead for improved stability and simplified kiosk mode management, including single-app and multi-app kiosk mode configurations.

To ensure that kiosk mode operates properly on your managed devices, we recommend the following:

• Test the configuration profile thoroughly on different devices. Some applications may not work in kiosk mode or might show a dialog for the user on the first run. During testing, check if the application runs correctly and cannot be closed, and that any restrictions you might have included in the configuration profile work as intended.
• Restart your devices after deploying the configuration profile.
• Always restart your devices after updating the applications to which the devices are locked down.

Configure single-app kiosk mode

Requirements

To configure single-app kiosk mode on your managed Android devices, the following requirements must be met:

• You must have a Miradore Premium or Premium+ subscription, or an active trial.
• Miradore client 2.8.0 or later must be installed on the device.
• The device must be running Android version 9.0 or later.
• The device must be enrolled to Miradore as a Fully managed device.
• The applications to which the device is restricted must be installed before deploying this configuration profile.
  Learn how to deploy applications on your managed devices using Miradore in Application management and deployment for Android.

Important: Devices in kiosk mode must always be connected to the internet.

Single-app kiosk mode restricts your managed Android devices to one application. With this configuration, no other applications, including system applications, are available for use on the device.

Tip: While you can use the configuration profile presented in this article for your Android devices, we recommend you use the Home screen & kiosk mode configuration profile instead for improved stability and simplified kiosk mode management, including single-app and multi-app kiosk mode configurations.

Steps

1. Navigate to Management > Configuration profiles and select Add.
2. Select Android, then select Next.
3. Select Kiosk mode, then select Next.
4. Enter the package name or Identifier of the application to which you want to lock down the device in the Kiosk mode application field.
   The package name is the unique identifier of the application in the Google Play store. It can be found at the end of the URL on the application's Google Play store page. For example, the Miradore client application's package name is com.miradore.client.v2, as shown in its Google Play store URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miradore.client.v2.
   If the application you want to run in kiosk mode is a web application or APK app, find its Identifier by doing one of the following:
   • Navigate to Management > Applications and open the app's page by double-clicking its row in the table.
   • Navigate to Management > Devices, open the page of the device on which the app is installed and find the app's Identifier on the Applications tab.
5. Add any additional applications that should run in the background to the Additional allowed applications field by entering their package name or Identifier and selecting Add.
6. Configure available features and system restrictions on the device on the Features and System restrictions tabs.
   Important: If none of the options are selected on the Features tab, all system UI features will be hidden from the user. If the Home button is not enabled, Additional allowed applications run in the background but otherwise cannot be used. To allow the use of multiple applications in kiosk mode, see Configure multi-app kiosk mode.
7. Select Next.
8. Enter a name and description for the configuration profile, and select Create to finalize the configuration.
9. Select Close to exit the wizard.
10. Deploy the configuration profile to the managed Android devices as described in Deploying a configuration profile.
    Tip: Consider adding the configuration profile to a business policy to automate deployment.

Results: The device is locked down to a single application. Other applications cannot be used.

Configure multi-app kiosk mode

Using kiosk mode with multiple applications can be useful if single-app kiosk mode is too restrictive. With multi-app kiosk mode, you can allow device users to access the device's home screen, settings, and any number of preselected apps.

Requirements

To configure multi-app kiosk mode on your managed Android devices, the following requirements must be met:

• You must have a Miradore Premium or Premium+ subscription, or an active trial.
• Miradore client version 2.8.9 or later must be installed on the device.
• The device must be running Android version 9.0 or later.
• The device must be enrolled in Miradore as a Fully managed device.
• The applications to which the device is restricted must be installed before deploying this configuration profile.
  Learn how to deploy applications on your managed devices using Miradore in Application management and deployment for Android.

Important: Devices in kiosk mode must always be connected to the internet.

Tip: While you can use the configuration profile presented in this article for your Android devices, we recommend you use the Home screen & kiosk mode configuration profile instead for improved stability and simplified kiosk mode management, including single-app and multi-app kiosk mode configurations.

Steps

1. Navigate to Management > Configuration profiles and select Add.
2. Select Android, then select Next.
3. Select Kiosk mode, then select Next.
4. Enter the package name or Identifier of the primary application that starts up automatically when the device is powered up or restarted in the Kiosk mode application field.
   The package name is the unique identifier of the application in the Google Play store. It can be found at the end of the URL on the application's Google Play store page. For example, the Miradore client application's package name is com.miradore.client.v2, as shown in its Google Play store URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miradore.client.v2.
   If the application you want to run in kiosk mode is a web application or APK app, find its Identifier by doing one of the following:
   • Navigate to Management > Applications and open the app's page by double-clicking its row in the table.
   • Navigate to Management > Devices, open the page of the device on which the app is installed and find the app's Identifier on the Applications tab.
5. Enter the package name or Identifier of the additionally available applications in the Additional allowed apps field and select Add after each.
   Important: If the user should be allowed to access the home screen, you must include the package name of the device's default launcher application, which provides the device's home screen and app drawer. Devices from different manufacturers may come with different launchers. Find your device's default launcher among the Default apps in the Settings application.

   

6. On the Features tab, select the Home button checkbox to allow device users to navigate to the home screen.
   If the Home button is not enabled, Additional allowed applications run in the background but otherwise cannot be used. In this case, the configuration profile is used as single-app kiosk mode.
7. Configure available features and system restrictions on the device on the Features and System restrictions tabs.
8. Select Next.
9. Enter a name and description for the configuration profile, and select Create to finalize the configuration.
10. Select Close to exit the wizard.
11. Deploy the configuration profile to the managed Android devices as described in Deploying a configuration profile.
    Tip: Consider adding the configuration profile to a business policy to automate deployment.

Results: The device is set into kiosk mode with the primary application running. The device user can switch between allowed applications.

Troubleshooting deployment failures

The main causes of deployment failure and their solutions are as follows:

The package name or Identifier is entered incorrectly

1. Navigate to Management > Configuration profiles and open the Kiosk mode configuration profile you created.
2. On the Settings tab, select Edit.
3. In the Kiosk mode settings table, change the package name or Identifier to the correct one.
4. Select Save.
5. Re-deploy the configuration profile to your managed devices.

The kiosk application is not installed on the device before deploying the Kiosk mode configuration profile

Deploy the kiosk application to the device, then re-deploy the Kiosk mode configuration profile.